For Ritsuka
by Boundless
Summary: Rit x OC, shounen-ai/bl. A gentle story of cultural differences and confused hearts.
1. Chapter 1

((Hello everyone! :D

Here is the first chapter of my first ever submitted Loveless story, a sickly sweet tale of teenage love, friendship, humour, cultural differences, and dumplings. ;)

**Warnings:** Very mild yaoi/cute shounen-ai/boy love, swearing and cusses (just as much as any teen might xP), there is no relation to the spell battle and magical side of Loveless, I'm just using the characters for a lifestyle-type story. Sorry... xD;

**Pairings:** Ritsuka x OC (oh shush :9)

**Notes:** My OC's name is pronounced _Kuu-fay_. Kay? :)

Don't like it, don't read it, and definitely don't leave nasty comments... though constructive crits are definitely appreciated! :)

Cheers~3))

* * *

**- For Ritsuka**

For Ritsuka Aoyagi, life was dull... again.

He gazed at his reflection in the train's steamy window, wishing it wasn't so cold outside. There was no snow, but it sure as hell felt like there should be snow. He sat at the window seat as bundled up in his jacket, scarf and coat as he could be.

The train emerged from a short dark tunnel and back into the harsh morning light of Tokyo. Ritsuka's placid lavender eyes dared as usual to lead him into daydreaming as much as was possible in the dead hours between waking up and going to school, which actually started in a few minutes.

He was probably going to be late again.

It was becoming more of a habit than usual. Then again, his bed seemed more cosy than usual too.

He blamed the freezing spring weather. That and the necessity to now have to travel to Kamachi junior high school where he was now enrolled at, by train, something which he hadn't had to do in his younger years. It was already halfway through his second school year there and he was still finding the travel routine bothersome.

The train slowed to a stop at a virtually empty station, making the young boy force himself to get up, slip on his side-satchel bag and make his way off. And as soon as he was off the train, there was that feeling that one gets that one may have forgotten something, despite the fact that one knows very well that they have everything with them.

The electric bullet train soon began to move again.

Oh, his scarf!

...

Life was cruel.

* * *

Eight-thirty, the school bell chimed, and Ritsuka sat down at his desk sighing about the obvious.

The obvious being that it was a Wednesday, the worst day of the week and that it was school today. It was the first day back from the week-or-so short break they'd had. That and the fact he had left his new scarf on the seat of the train earlier.

It was the icing on the cake really.

An evil cake.

"_You're_ getting worse," a familiar voice chimed from a nearby desk.

His sort-of-friend Yayoi sat watching him peculiarly with a raised eyebrow, staring right at him, giving another of his weird looks.

Ritsuka could have sworn he were secretly gay, were it not for the fact that he pursued a certain girl so vigilantly.

"Quiet," Ritsuka responded after a short delay. "What do you care anyway?"

"I don't, that's the thing. I'm just saying. You're coming in later and later."

Ritsuka huffed a noise through his nose and turned back to look out the window across the room, sticking out his small pink tongue at nothing in particular.

Yayoi was one to talk anyway... finding excuses for skipping P.E. every week.

Not that he blamed him. He even tried to join him most times.

P.E. at this school was basically a death-wish for anyone weak and stringy like them.

Not that the teacher cared.

The teachers never cared.

"Alright, settle down everyone please."

The usual homeroom teacher for this fairly new school was Yamaguchi, and he tried to calm everyone down as they all strolled into the classroom, shivering, though he actually had to grit his own teeth to stop them from chattering too loud. He had to resist putting on his jacket himself, because they would only complain at why they weren't allowed to wear their own coats in light of the unusually bitter temperature.

And so another school day began.

He rested his small chin on the palm of his hand and lazed in the first few rays of undeveloped spring sunlight. It penetrated through the murk of the school classroom windows, making the room a little bit brighter and warmer. Ritsuka's hazy lavender eyes drifted, his gaze along with it.

School really just seemed to make life all the more boring now that things had changed.

He was fifteen now, and felt like child no longer.

Ritsuka glanced around at the people, some he had known at a past school for years, but could not bother to recall anything useful about them. They were just people. They didn't matter.

Not any more.

Then there were the people he had come to know and to love, at least to some extent. His eyes settled on a lively pink-haired girl that had just sat in her desk next to him on the left.

Yuiko Hawatari. Yes, that was her name. She was tall and shapely, cute and kind, but a bit of an airhead. Junior high had done nothing for her so far except earn her some new friends, which she was very grateful to have considering how much the girls seemed to hate her in their previous school.

Then there was Yayoi Shioiri who had talked to him earlier. He was amusingly small, had long brown hair that was tipped with pale green, and was prone to fits of envy and ranting, mostly over how unfair it was that Ritsuka was such good friends with Yuiko, and why she would never go out with him instead. Even though there was nothing at all besides friendship between Ritsuka and Yuiko, secretly, Ritsuka went along with it at times just to wind him up.

All things considered, they were good friends. These two had been the only people from their previous school that had stood by him when things were rough a few years back, with that mysterious man that he had run into and the events that transpired. It had been about three years since then, and things had changed a lot.

He stared blankly at the boring world around him... same classroom, same teacher, same people. It was the same old life that he'd returned to after all of the excitement.

Yeah, come to think of it, maybe things hadn't changed all _that_ much. The world was still here, whirring round and round.

Just then, he noticed the teacher's eyes were on him and one after the other the students looked back too. What, was he talking? He couldn't tell. Snapping back into reality-mode, he sat up a little straighter in his seat though still slouching over his desk.

"Aoyagi-kun?"

Damn, he _had_ been talking.

"Uhnn?" was all he could manage. He still felt strangely lethargic.

"Is something wrong?" he asked with a worried expression, leaning forwards a little.

Ritsuka shook his head slightly, allowing his blank eyes trace to the floor. He suddenly realised he must have been looking a bit depressed, which would only encourage his classmate's curiosity. He despised being the centre of attention. He then quickly cracked a small grin at him.

"I'm fine, just a little tired," he said.

Though the teacher's concern for him had been sparked yet again, he reluctantly had to continue teaching the class, and attention from him faded. Most of it anyway.

"Ritsuka-kuuun, are you sure you're okay?" a familiar voice whispered from his left. Yuiko, of course. Thing was, her voice was _always_ too loud.

"Shhh!" the teacher warned.

Yuiko sat straight forward again. She continued to give Ritsuka strange worried looks, as did a few of the other girls. He wondered if all girls were naturally concerned and if they really did have those 'womanly instincts' that are so often talked about like a creepy sixth sense.

Yayoi however, was just giving him weird looks anyway, glaring. One's that spelled, 'you little attention-seeker, playing on Yuiko-chan's emotions like that! You dirty...'

Ritsuka rolled his eyes and continued to stare out of the window across the classroom. He sighed silently, his ears twitched and his tail flicked nonchalantly underneath his chair. He was bored of his ears and tail too. He had dull purple cat ears on his head and a small cat tail, like all of the people in the class. It was one of the things that connected them all. Indeed most of the people in the whole school were half cat, with ears and tails.

This was the norm.

All around their world, there were different species of 'animal-people'. The most common were cats and dogs though. Japan, where Ritsuka lived, was one of the hotspots for cat-people, AKA - Neko-jin. It was the most common breed of human there and it was almost alien to see another species in Japan, but not unheard of. There were tourists of course. Most of them came from America, where there were mainly Inu-jin (dog-people), Nezumi-jin (mouse-people) and Usagi-jin (rabbit-people), all possessing the ears and tails of said creature.

So then consequently, there was racial hate. It was the big topic of the twenty-first century; on all of the news channels you could always find the latest fights or revolts headlining in big, provocative letters.

Ritsuka just tried to ignore it all. He was Neko-jin and that was that. All creature features were permanent from birth, unless one was willing to have a risky operation to look like a human. Humans were mostly extinct nowadays, and not the trend at all. The current fad was to be Neko-jin... coincidently.

The second bell of the day chimed and Yamaguchi-san glanced at the clock on the wall, called on a pupil to erase the board of the previous lesson's work and talked to the class, gesturing strangely.

"Today we have a new student joining our class."

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow, looking thoroughly uninterested.

Most of the class burst out into muffled conversation and bets on what kind of person they were going to be landed with.

"Settle down everyone, now come on, you all remember what it was like when you first got here," Yamaguchi-san explained, adjusting his thin glasses. "It can be pretty scary. Especially so for a foreigner.."

"A foreigner?" most of the class voiced quietly in their own ways.

Now this _was_ different.

From his left, Yuiko leaned over to a bored Ritsuka, her thin strands of pink hair crossing her shoulders.

"Did you hear that? Sensei said a foreigner. That means they might _not_ be Neko-jin!" she told him, smiling with genuine interest and excitement. "Imagine that!"

"Relax. It's nothing special. We have foreigners here already," he replied, swapping hands to rest his chin on. "That girl in Suzuki-san's class. She's Usagi-jin."

"But.." she tried.

"And that other girl in Yoshida-san's class, the small one.. I think she is too."

Yuiko looked a little disappointed. Her small, pink cat ears dropped.

"C'mon, don't put on that act," Yayoi scoffed from the desk behind Yuiko. "Stop acting like you don't care, it annoys me!"

Ritsuka stared over his left shoulder at him with a persistent blank face which was there to aggravate him further. Yayoi growled in response.

"But.. this time, they'll be in _our_ class, _our_ age! Who knows?" Yuiko chimed, her eyes suddenly sparkled. "It could even be... a guy!"

Ritsuka smirked at her enthusiasm. Their aggravated friend despaired and lay over his desk, muttering, "I sure hope not..."

The teacher didn't need to hush the class as they all fell pretty much into dead silence as soon as the classroom door clicked open. All eyes were suddenly focused on the doorframe as the person slowly walked in. There was a simultaneous gasp from most of the students in the class as the new person approached the teacher who was smiling politely.

"It's a.." someone whispered.

"Dog..." someone else said.

"Inu-jin? No way.." another person finished.

Ritsuka sighed and looked away. He hated the way everyone seemed to stereotype the new kid right off the bat, so averted his eyes, though only to try to stop himself from most likely doing the same thing.

"Now, now everyone, have some manners please," Yamaguchi-san scolded them, then turning back to the now, very intimidated boy who seemed to be trying as hard as possible to ignore the rest of the class's intense stares. "This is Kufe Angelo. He's from England."

There was another short silence.

Kufe eventually glanced at the other students through his mesh of brown and blonde hair. His intense amber eyes caught a glimpse of Ritsuka, the only one who didn't seem to be staring back, but after that, he lost his nerve and directed his eyes to his shoes. The brown dog-like ears on his head receded, and his small bushy tail clung to his leg timidly.

A couple of girls looked at each other and held in a shriek. A few guys grinned evilly, while a couple of others shrugged and pretended not to care. One of them was already quietly making jokes, which by 'accident', the _whole_ class of students overheard and burst into laughter. Ritsuka laughed into his hand.

"Everybody please, behave yourselves! You're not in elementary school anymore," Yamaguchi warned, more than slightly embarrassed. "I do apologise for my students," he then pleaded in English to Kufe who understood and nodded, his eyes still focused on the ground.

Yamaguchi was a good man and understood this poor boy's position perfectly. He put two fingers into his mouth and whistled loudly, making all of their cat ears flatten and stop their mouths from talking. He tried to continue, shooting another apologetic look at his new student for making the high-pitched noise.

"Now, let's try this again. We have a new student joining our class, who is no different from any of you. Let's all try to make a good impression, 'kay?"

With that he gestured to the only free desk that sat near the back of the classroom, two seats behind and to the right of Ritsuka, who made sure he kept his eyes averted. He didn't want anything to do with him, so as to avoid that feeling of guilt one so often gets when another person is helplessly teased or ridiculed as what this Kufe person was most likely going to undergo, in massive amounts. He'd already decided to keep his tail out of this one.

Maybe if it had been a girl, it might have been different.

Kufe held his small rucksack tightly over one shoulder and turned to make his way through the puzzle of desks and wide cat eyes. It felt like a bad dream.

"Alright class, let's work hard today," Yamaguchi told them in Japanese, preparing to leave for another classroom, already aware that he was going to be a little late.

Meanwhile Kufe walked briskly between the single desks, trying to avoid getting caught on corners or elbows, which was hard because all the time he was trying even harder not to look up at anybody or his surroundings. The girls around him making silent remarks to their friends and awing at his strange tail as he rushed past. Nearly all the guys were leaning over to try to get a proper look for whatever sinister purpose they had in mind for later.

The poor boy dodged one last elbow and sat himself down, nearly sitting on his tail for it being so close to his leg. A girl giggled. Then the class stood up as usual to bid Yamaguchi goodbye as he left the classroom, as was customary. Kufe was puzzled and sat still. The girl giggled incessantly again.

Yamaguchi suddenly met the next teacher in the doorway and apologised abruptly for nearly running into her. She smiled sweetly and let him pass before she did, then shut the door behind herself and smiled at the class who had remained standing to welcome her.

"Good morning everyone!"

"Good morning sensei," they chimed, then sat down ritually. Kufe who had eventually stood up also, quickly sat down.

There was a giggle.

"Now, now then.. I hope you've all done your homework," she told them, setting out her various files on the desk. "Because you're getting a test."

There was a collective moan.

"I know, I know. The exams aren't for a month but you all know you need to improve. Some of you _especially_."

There was an angry sigh.

"Alright, I'll need all of your books back and-" the teacher paused as she caught a glimpse of the strange new student and put her hands on her hips. "Well then, you'll all have to thank your homeroom teacher for leaving such a helpful memo for me. You, come up here and introduce yourself if you haven't already."

The boy looked clearly terrified. She had been speaking in Japanese the whole time and was now talking directly to him with an expectant face to boot. It became evident he didn't understand the language. The pupils stared back at him with glee. How fun!

"Ehm.." he mumbled, hoping the teacher would catch on.

She blinked and waited. Maybe he was just shy.

Ritsuka gave in and lazily eyed him over his right shoulder.

'_Pitiful..'_

"Oh, do you not understand me?" the teacher asked slowly and pointed to her face.

"No sensei, he's a foreigner," someone from the front row said, smiling.

"From where?"

"England!"

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem then," she smirked.

Ritsuka sighed and looked away again, meeting the fretful look of Yuiko. This was too painful for him to watch and it was probably only going to get worse.

"Welcome to History class, how do you do? I'm Maeda. Please call me Maeda-san, or sensei. Okay?" the teacher spoke to him kindly in near-perfect English.

The rest of the class grinned and laughed a bit, some thinking how cute he was and others, how stupid he must be to come here and apparently not know a word of Japanese.

Kufe didn't know whether to be shocked or relieved and found himself unable to hold back a small smile and nodded to her, hoping that was enough.

"Well alright then. This just means we'll have a handy English dictionary sitting nearby," Maeda said coolly as she went back to the lesson plan at her desk. "Hm, that and I'm going to have to speak in English all the time for his benefit."

The class groaned loudly, some staring at the new boy, hissing, cat-like under their breath to intimidate him.

Which actually worked.

"It won't be so bad," she began to talk in English to the best of her abilities. "Maybe also the new pupil can correct me if I'm wrong."

She smiled, and Kufe tried to smile back though the glares of his classmates began to work on him as a cold, cold wind works on people wearing rather damp clothes.

* * *

Kufe seemed quiet; studious, perhaps, in appearance, the way he seemed to always be working away at the task at hand. However his long and tied chestnut-coloured hair streaked with golden blonde, his clothes, black and fitting, and the numerous painful-looking piercings that lined his dog-like ears suggested a very different story indeed. His placid face (what people could see of it anyway through his dense fringe) said he was calm and collected but his panicked state displayed earlier contrasted it completely. And his intense amber eyes.. such a mystery!

Ritsuka found himself staring, contemplating these things. Usually the new kid would be black and white, easy to figure. Like someone who's parents were rich and moved there for their kids to be popular, or the lovable new class clown trying to find his place in society, or maybe even just the unbalanced misfit come to a new school to try and make friends there instead.

But him... he didn't seem like any of those. Well, not yet. And that fact frustrated him.

"Ritsuka-kuuun, why're you staring at Kufe-kuuun?" Yuiko sang, seemingly pleased.

"Why indeed," implied Yayoi with a glare.

Ritsuka grunted and looked back at Kufe. He was minding his own business, scribbling something or another in pen, which then didn't seem to want to work as he shook it, and shook it, then brought the nib to his mouth and licked it.

Ritsuka saw a tongue stud and shivered.

"Ooh yeah, it's still so cold!" Yuiko said, seeing the shiver.

"I could keep you warm, Yuiko-chan..." Yayoi muttered slyly.

"Erm, no thanks!"

"He's being awfully quiet," Ritsuka mentioned, his eyes drawn to him again.

"You're a detective!" she chimed. "Is he mister mysterious or what?"

"Mhm, a little," he replied.

Yayoi sighed. What a hopeless case.

The first lessons of the day had begun and ended the same, the new boy not saying a word. Now it was lunchtime and Yuiko figured it was about time someone approached him. Maybe he was just shy and really wanted someone to talk to. There was just one problem though.

Yuiko couldn't speak English very well at all...

"Ano.. good morn-afternoon!"

He looked up at her from his desk with a carrot stick in his mouth from his lunchbox.

"I... good weather, yes?"

He stared back with a confused face.

"Unn.. how is Kufe-kun?" she asked, smiling graciously.

He continued to look bewildered, swallowing. His eyes were blazing right back into hers. That stern face he held, no smile at all. He looked so scary! She guessed he was finding her very annoying and didn't want to talk to her at all.

"I, I, I-gomen! Ano, sorry!"

She bowed nervously and left him quickly, just as he was about to reply. Kufe blinked confusedly and watched the pink-haired girl sit back in her seat, talking in fast Japanese to her two friends, who then both glared back at him.

Eyes down.

"It's okay Yuiko.." Ritsuka comforted, one hand on her arm as she sniffled over her desk, looking truly hurt. She was very overly-sensitive to these kinds of things.

"That bastard!" Yayoi muttered, gritting his teeth. "How dare he be so mean to poor, poor sweet, cute, innocent Yuiko-chan! And she was only trying to help, too!"

Ritsuka would've told him to hush, but he felt the same way. They were close friends now. And that meant anyone intruding on that friendship that hurt either of them in any way deserved revenge. He made sure to treasure his friends very carefully, as he had learned to do years ago.

He stood up.

"Take care of her," he said, knowing Yayoi would not pass up that opportunity.

The rest of the class were busy in their groups around the tables eating lunch or out of the classroom, mingling with their friends. However, as soon as those in the classroom had seen Yuiko approaching the new student, and now Ritsuka, attentions were drawn. They observed and predicted what might happen with intense cat-like fascination.

"You," Ritsuka projected strongly, in English, as he stood right next to his desk, staring with blatant ferocity in his eyes.

Kufe jumped a little and stared right at him, listening keenly. He wondered what he'd done to deserve all this hostility. His eyes made Ritsuka freeze momentarily. They were so vibrant up close, burning with colour as fire does. But he shook it off and continued firmly.

"Now listen. Yuiko is my friend. Don't make Yuiko cry again. Don't you even dare."

Kufe looked shocked and tilted his head to watch the girl, who then looked back, her eyes full of tears. His ears dropped with utter remorse.

"Hey. I'm serious," Ritsuka continued. "Don't talk to her again. Or _you_ will be the person who cries."

With that he gave a sharp stare, telling him he meant it. All he got in return was a sorry expression and what looked like puppy-dog eyes.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make her cry.. I.. don't know what I did. But I'm very sorry," Kufe said sorrowfully in a British accent. "May I tell her I'm sorry?"

Ritsuka was stunned. He suddenly expected him to be cold and cruel in return or at least silent. Nearly taken aback by his perfect English, he now replied with a less than superior tone.

"Unn.. of course you can say sorry..."

Kufe nodded, stood up and made his way towards Yuiko and a confused but still very protective Yayoi. Everyone's eyes were on him. The girls squeaked quietly while the guys were in disbelief.

"Hey, I'm very sorry I hurt your feelings," he began, and then bowed as best he knew how. "I hope you can forgive me."

Ritsuka was struck with an emotion he couldn't say he recognised. He stood behind him and sighed angrily at himself and wondered if he'd ever have seen this coming.

Yuiko stared at him for a moment and smiled.. before breaking into more sniffles.

"Ahh! Yuiko-chan!" Yayoi exclaimed, tempted to put his arms around her.

"No, no," she said, wiping her face.

"Are you alright?" Ritsuka asked as he approached them.

Kufe straightened himself and watched her face, trying to discern what she might be feeling since he couldn't understand what they were saying. Yayoi anxiously clung to her side, ready to defend her.

"I'm very happy but, erm... what was Kufe-kun saying exactly?"

* * *

It was the end of the school day and the bells chimed their tune. All of the students from all of the classes began to pour out of the main entrance way, chatting and some running by to catch buses. There was no uniform code for this school so the crowds were always colourful, even in the unnatural cold weather. This usually meant the girls were busy with how they looked most of the time, trying to style the latest trends and find new ways to model their cat tails and ears. The boys? Well, they found different ways to take advantage of the dress code.

This definitely wasn't elementary school anymore.

"Oi! Natsumi-chan! Check out my new tattoo.."

"Ohhhh! No way! That's so cool! Look, look girls!"

"Wow, no.. way dude."

"Did it hurt?"

"Psh of course not! Haha!"

The group of school girls squealed in delight as the boy flaunted his newest mark of rebellion as they walked through the icy schoolyard and out the front gate. The girls went on tittering rumours and flirting with him when Kufe passed them with his long, quick strides. They watched in awe.

"Wow, he must be hardcore."

"I've never seen _that _guy around here before! What a cutie."

"Are you kidding? Look at his tail girls!"

"Eiw... what the hell is that?"

"But come on, look at his ears! Hey, Ma-kun, you ever gonna get your neko ears pierced?"

"Oh come on, you know how much that must hurt?"

The girls pushed him, moaning.

"What a wuss!"

Just then the usual trio; Yuiko, Ritsuka and Yayoi headed out of the school gate arguing. Something about the Olympics.

"Well of course I think she could have gone for gold if she'd swum faster."

"Easier said than done Yuiko. Just imagine that kind of pressure.."

"Hey, isn't that the new loser?" Yayoi scoffed, staring at Kufe who was headed down the end of the street.

"Don't be mean!" Yuiko scolded, hitting him with her bag.

"Hmn, can't really mistake his weird clothes," Ritsuka said, suddenly intrigued.

Yuiko grinned and ran in front of him, bouncing.

"Wanna stalk him detective Aoyagi?"

"Haha! No, I think I'll pass," he replied. "I'm sure he's had enough of us for one day."

"Aww.. poor Kufe-kun..." Yuiko whined as they continued to walk home together.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to call him that? I mean, you're not his friend or anything," Yayoi mentioned.

"Oh! You're right. So maybe.. Angelo-san?"

"That's _too _formal. You don't want him walking all over you, do you?"

Ritsuka glared at him a bit, but let it slide. They occasionally took turns winding each other up anyhow. It was all in good fun.

"Hmm, Angelo-kun! Yes, I'll call him Angelo-kun," she decided.

"Maybe so. Though I doubt he'll know the difference. It's not like he understands our language anyway," Ritsuka said. "And anyway, in countries like America and England, they like to be called by their first names only. Like in the movies."

"True. I wonder why they do that. So impolite," Yayoi commented.

"So we call him just.. Kufe? Is that alright?"

Ritsuka nodded at her. "Technically, yes."

"You really know how to speak English Ritsuka-kun!"

"Too many American games," he smiled.

"It's gonna be too weird calling him just Kufe like he's a friend.. so I'll just stick to, 'hey loser' and hope he looks my way."

"Yayoi-kuuun!"

She hit him with her bag, again.

"I wonder if the British do any better in the Olympics.." Ritsuka begun.

"No way!" the two finished.


	2. Chapter 2

((Hello everyone! :D

Here is the second chapter of my first ever submitted Loveless story, a sickly sweet tale of teenage love, friendship, humour, cultural differences, and dumplings. ;)

**Warnings:** Very mild yaoi/cute shounen-ai/boy love, swearing and cusses (just as much as any teen might xP), there is no relation to the spell battle and magical side of Loveless, I'm just using the characters for a lifestyle-type story. Sorry... xD;

**Pairings:** Ritsuka x OC (oh shush :9)

**Notes:** My OC's name is pronounced _Kuu-fay_. Kay? :)

Don't like it, don't read it, and definitely don't leave nasty comments... though constructive crits are definitely appreciated! :)

Cheers~3))

* * *

Art class was really something else for this new boy, Kufe. He'd just sit there on a lonely chair with a big drawing board tilted up on his lap and work away the hour. The students couldn't help but wonder if he was something like talented Da Vinci or a just a loon, like Picasso and his ear episode. He still hadn't said much to anyone other than Ritsuka and Yuiko. But then again it'd only been two days. There was still plenty of time for the students to find out what kind of guy he was and most likely exploit that as much as they could, as most cruel teenagers do.

"Alright you guys, lemme just get this out. You all _need _to have your final pieces ready by... yesterday," the teacher grimaced as he told off the class of fifteen.

"But Kaidou-san!" one whined.

"Ab-b-b! No excuses!"

Ritsuka, irritated, turned away from his painting and stared at the teacher with rebellion in his eyes.

"Excuse me... sensei.." he paused, suddenly uncomfortable but went on. "You're only our _substitute_. And you're the one who told us all to suddenly change what we were doing in our previous projects and start something more... _'artsy.'_"

"Why you little brat!" he responded, on his last nerve with him, once again.

Some of the students gasped.

"Don't talk to a superior like that!" the teacher told him, pointing. "Are you even listening? Pfft, forget it! I'm sick of arguing with a runt like you."

He then turned his anger on a student who was dazing lazily on a desk. The other students mumbled their dislikes for him. Ritsuka went back to his painting, suddenly rather uninspired.

"Ritsuka-kuuun, that wasn't very nice," Yuiko said as she returned with a refilled water cup, pouting. "You should really stop talking to Kaido-san like that."

"I think it's funny!" Yayoi exclaimed, mixing some colours.

"It_ is_ funny. And he doesn't deserve my respect," Ritsuka said. He stared madly at his section of their big group canvas. He'd forgotten what he was painting.

"It's true we are already acquainted with him.. but he's not _so _bad," she tried.

"Acquainted? We've known him for years. Why'd that jerk have to follow us to this school?"

He continued to glare at the his mostly-blank section of the canvas.

"It's probably just a coincidence Ritsuka-kun."

Yuiko leaned over and painted a blue mark for encouragement where Ritsuka was painting earlier. She smiled. He smiled a bit too and continued to paint his flower as he wound down his frustration.

"Well I think that pervert's stalking us," Yayoi said with his paintbrush in his mouth, looking artistically at his section of the piece. "What was his name again?"

"Kaidou-san's first name?"

"Kio," Ritsuka finished loathingly, stabbing the canvas with blue.

Yuiko flinched...

That poor flower.

"Ahh yes, Kio," Yayoi remarked, then adding onto his 'masterpiece' portion of the canvas. "Wasn't he that creepy guy who lived with that adult male friend of yours? Eiw, so gay."

Ritsuka made a face and looked to him.

"You have problems."

"Whaaat?"

"He does okay as an art teacher though. It's a good job for him," she mentioned, sticking her tongue out as she painted petals on her own flowers. "I mean, he did go to college."

"With Ritsuka's gay friend."

"Shut up Shioiri."

"Ooooh, testy!"

"Guys, stop it! Soubi-san was a nice man!"

"Ughnn!" Ritsuka exclaimed, flinging himself away from the canvas and striding away in a huff.

"Looks like you hit a raw nerve," he scoffed.

Yuiko's ears flattened and she pulled her ultimately very sad face. "Ohh.. I didn't mean to make Ritsuka-kun angry..."

"Ah! Yuiko-chan!" Yayoi came to her front and comforted her like he always did. "It's okay, he's just being unreasonable, as usual."

A slightly moody Ritsuka went to one of the windows on the far side of the classroom and leaned on the frame. He stared out into the world outside, frozen with winter's effects.. but still there was no snow.

He dared to daydream.

'_I'd almost buried those memories of him.. of... Soubi. The last thing I want to do now is bring it up again, talk about him with nice words like none of it ever happened; like he never betrayed me and lied to me like he did...'_

Ritsuka gently pounded his forehead against the chilled glass and sighed, resting his eyes shut.

'_...Do I miss him, even now?'_

He rubbed his head on the pane as a cat does against the warm hand of a loved one. Only the window was very cold, and smelled funny.

The boy sighed quietly again and told himself not to be so stupid in front of his friends again. He would be miserably reflective at home instead, where it was warm and there were old photos to frown over.

He glanced sideways to his right, expecting to see Yuiko approaching him or at least eying him worriedly but he saw an irritable Kio making snide remarks about their group piece, mostly about Ritsuka's portion of the painting.

They weren't exactly the best of friends even though Kio had honestly tried to like him but found the idea of sharing 'his' Soubi all too difficult. Nevermind the whole business with his, apparently, very violent big brother Seimei leaving a mess of bad impressions for his little brother Ritsuka to deal with.

But that's a completely different story...

And, Kio also blamed Ritsuka for Soubi running off, too.

They hadn't heard anything from him in two long years. And the strain was rearing its ugly head again..

Ritsuka turned his head the other way still against the glass. And to his left he flinched a bit as he suddenly saw the dog-boy Kufe, who he definitely hadn't noticed was there at all. He sat bunched up on his chair, all his attentions spent on his work; which Ritsuka could now clearly see.

It was large piece of drawing paper, pinned to its board, and held a simply amazing pencil and charcoal sketch drawing of the classroom before them.

It was incredible.

He'd drawn the tables, equipment, cupboards, everyone's large painted canvases and the people themselves. Some still lacked detail but the ones that looked completed were uncanny clones of their real-life counterparts. Ritsuka saw his illustrated self arguing with the teacher, a momentous scene trapped in time.

Ritsuka stared at it over his shoulder, captivated by the detail and the very idea...

Kufe had been observing them all.

The boy's amber gaze slowly glided to this interloper to his left and their eyes met for a split second.

There was an awkward moment.

And then Kufe suddenly bolted up into a fit of silent panic, pulling his drawing board close to his person and nearly falling off his chair, away from a shocked and confused Ritsuka.

"Ummn... I.." Ritsuka muttered.

Kufe stared directly at him, looking completely offended.

"Sorry.. I didn't," _just_ remembering to speak in English he started again but changed his mind mid-sentence. "Your picture... it's really cool. It's.. amazing! Kufe-kun- Kufe.. sketch it?"

The stunned boy breathed deeply and allowed himself to sit up straight and steady himself again, still retaining unfamiliar eye contact to the point that made them both nearly want to retreat. But his strange demeanour about being thoroughly embarrassed but the passion and willingness to defend his drawing so, intrigued him. It was another clash with what Ritsuka thought his personality was.

"It's..." Kufe began, looking to the ground ashamedly. "Hmn... Thank you," he said, looking back up at him.

Ritsuka nodded and remembered the other day and the incident that transpired. He felt silly for judging the new kid so quickly even though he had _told_ himself he wouldn't do that. He didn't seem so bad at all.

Thoughts of Soubi flashed briefly.

'_Why even bother to try trust somebody like that again?' _he wondered.

The two boys locked eyes for quite a few moments before Kufe lost his nerve and fiddled with the edge of his drawing board. His face kept going a pale reddish shade now and again. He didn't have a clue how he was expected to act towards these strange people.

Just as Ritsuka felt urged to say something further to him, his pink-haired friend made her way over to them however late she'd been in arriving.

"Ritsuka-kun! Wow, Kaido-san is such a slave-driver, isn't he?" she gasped.

She stood just in front of Ritsuka and as she gestured, eyes rolling, she caught a glimpse of Kufe suddenly staring up at her from her side with that 'scary face' she didn't like.

"Eep!" Yuiko squeaked, jumping up against Ritsuka. "I-I-I didn't see you there, Kufe-kun. Uh! Angelo-san, uhnn! Kufe-san!"

"Engliiish," Ritsuka reminded her, leaning back on the window frame and shaking his head.

"Oh! Yeah.. ummm.. it's.. Kufe Angelo, isn't it?"

"Yes," he replied, his eyes suddenly bright.

"Umm, I'm Hawatari Yuiko, pleased to meet you!" she exclaimed happily, bowing. She was pleased she could remember at least some the teachings of her English classes.

"And you as well," Kufe answered, a small, modest smile creeping up on his face.

Well, Ritsuka needn't have bothered thinking so much into the decision of whether or not to become acquainted with him, as Yuiko had already managed the brunt of it without much thought at all. He was once again happy to have her on his side.

"My name is Aoyagi Ritsuka."

He bowed a little too, his cat tail swishing gracefully behind him.

Kufe nodded and smiled properly; a warm and open smile. It touched the pair to see his face so friendly for a change and Ritsuka had a quick sigh of relief in thinking they'd done the right thing.

"So," Kufe said, resting his board face-down on his lap and looking to each one of them in turn. "You're.. Hawatari, and you're Ao.. Aoyagi, was it?"

Yuiko giggled.

"Hai. I mean, yes!"

"It's also good to call us by our first names too," Ritsuka cleared up. He'd previously dismissed the possible problem of announcing their family names first.

"Yes! Please name myself Yuiko-chan, and Yuiko's kindly friend is Ritsuka-kun," she told him, smiling sweetly.

"Or just Yuiko and Ritsuka," Ritsuka clarified.

"Oh yeah.." she said, remembering their discussion.

Kufe looked confused. Even calling them by their names was tricky? This was going to be impossible..

Their grouchy art teacher with all the piercings in his ears (surprisingly even more than Kufe's) approached them with his hands on his skinny hips. The toothpick in his mouth flitted around irritably.

"No social gatherings in the middle of my art class, got it?"

The bell rang for lunch.

"Yes Kaido-san!" Yuiko said, catching a half-dazed Ritsuka by the arm and dragging him away before they fought again, not forgetting to wave a quick bye to their new friend.

Kufe waved his fingers a little to her.

"Hmf. These kids.. I was such a calm person by nature, completely passive, now they'll drive me insane!" Kio ranted to himself. "Huh? And just who are you?"

'_What? Am I now so invisible to everybody? That doesn't make any sense.' _he pondered. Kio hadn't bothered him at all since class started. It was actually like no one had noticed he was sitting there at all.

Kio noticed his strange ears and his numerous piercings and gave a noise of appreciation and a compliment before letting him all alone again.

"Niiice. Finally, a teenager who actually _knows_ what style is!"

Kufe once again sat in the immensely bewildering gap between _just _understanding what these people _might_ be on about, and being completely and utterly lost in translation and the vast cultural boundaries that places like Japan seem to be famous for.

He began to think learning Japanese was something of a vital necessity.

Chopstick-handling too.

Definitely.

* * *

"Catch it, catch it, catch it!" a boy yelled as the ball spiralled through the air.

The catch was just missed and it bounced against the fence, rolling away.

"Oops.."

"Damn right oops!"

The other team broke into celebration and ran around jumping on each other. There were one or two sports courts on the top of the school's concrete roof, lined with tall mesh fences where students were allowed to play at lunchtimes if they wanted.

"Rematch?" one boy smugly asked the leader of the other team.

"Pfft... I guess," he responded, looking around. "Wait, where'd it go?"

The basketball had rolled away out of sight.

Sat against the wire fences were the trio who had decided to eat their lunch on the roof since the freezing temperatures had decided to be slightly milder that day. The random game was just something to watch. Yayoi was stood up, clinging to the mesh and looking out onto the city.

"I don't like this area. Too many thugs," he remarked randomly.

"Aren't you two cold?" Ritsuka whined quietly, pulling his jacket tightly about himself, which he was very pleased he'd managed to sneak out. His tail followed suit and wrapped around his arms.

"No, not really," Yuiko said happily.

She was sat up comfortably munching on a sandwich. It looked as though she were wearing just one t-shirt.

'_How on earth..?'_

"Uh oh,it's the loser again. Everybody look away."

"Yayoi-kuuun! He's not a loser!" she scolded, hitting his leg again.

Ritsuka looked up, teeth chattering, to see Kufe walking up onto the roof, looking somewhat bewildered as usual. His cat ears perked up as he watched him.

"Can we invite him to come eat with us?" Yuiko asked him cheerily with a grin.

"Huh?"

Yuiko's grin widened as though she knew something devilishly secret.

Ritsuka stared back at her, clueless.

"Yeesh, what _is _it with you guys and that guy!" Yayoi interjected, spinning around to see him for himself. "Eiw. He dresses like a street thug. He'll probably beat us up after school and mug us."

Yuiko was still smiling at Ritsuka as though she were waiting for him to say something.

"Admit it," she said suddenly.

"Admit _what?_" he replied, blinking sheepishly.

There was a silence.

Yayoi pouted at once again being left out of their games.

"Hey! You guys seen our ball?"

One of the boys from the basketball game had run up to them on a search.

"Nope, sorrrrrry!" Yuiko sang.

The boy grumbled and sped off to check with another group of students on the roof with them. The pink-haired Yuiko packed away her bento lunchbox and sat staring directly at him again.

"Just admit it!"

"Admit _whaaat_?" both Ritsuka and Yayoi asked.

"Uhm.." someone voiced.

The trio looked up to see Kufe stood before them, donned in a black jacket, jeans, and several punk accessories. Yayoi grimaced disapprovingly.

"Excuse me.. Ao.. Aoyagi?"

Ritsuka perked right up.

Yuiko stifled a giggle with her hand.

"What?" Yayoi questioned with a note of annoyance.

"That's me," Ritsuka replied to Kufe in English.

"_Whaat?_" he tried again, though no one was letting on.

Kufe fidgeted a bit and fiddled with the zip on his jacket before replying.

"Erm... someone called Yama... Yama... oh what was it?" he mumbled, his face becoming increasingly more flushed.

"Yama... guchi?" Ritsuka finished.

"Yeah! Guchi."

The two boys stared at this foreign boy as though he were a madman. Yuiko however, smiled on with glee and left him to it.

"Yamaguchi wants to talk to you. I heard some teachers talking about it, they're looking for you too.. and I saw you go up the stairs to here, so I just thought I'd give you the message myself," Kufe said, feigning confidence.

Ritsuka felt a pinch of disappointment for reasons unknown to him. Was that the only reason he'd come to say hi?

In fact, he hadn't even said that..

"Is that it?" he asked in a serious tone, flipping some hair out of his eyes.

"Yep..." the boy reluctantly replied.

Both boys were looking away from each other.

Yuiko looked nearly-frantically between them and kneeled up to try to say something in English.. though she honestly hadn't understood anything after 'guchi'.

"Ehhh.. Would Kufe-kun be happy if Kufe-kun sits with us?" she motioned.

"Oh gee, thanks for asking us!" Yayoi grumbled.

"Are you _always_ angry or something?" she said loudly to him.

Ritsuka couldn't help but roll his eyes and moaned quietly to himself. He then stood up and readied himself to go. Yuiko panicked a little more.

"I gotta go see our homeroom teacher," Ritsuka said to his friends.

"Ohh, is _that_ all Kufe-san was saying?" she said.

"I'll bet he was swearing too," Yayoi nodded.

"See you later guys."

"Bye Ritsuka-kun! Come back soon!"

Ritsuka waved a bit and passed Kufe without so much as a second glance, kicking a ball on the ground away with considerable force. The court's players cheered and resumed their game. The new boy felt the aura of tension directed at him and hung his head submissively, wondering what he'd done this time.

"Ouu, now _this_ is going to be a challenge for sure," Yuiko observed, settling back down again.

"What the hell are you on about? Psh, I don't understand you guys any more.." Yayoi huffed, quickly sitting down to eat the remains of his own squid-based lunch.

"Psst, you passed English class with good marks, ne?" she whispered to Yayoi.

"Correct, I tied with that show-off Ritsuka. Why?"

She glanced at the dejected Kufe slowly walking away from them.

"Ohhhh no. I _refuse_ to communicate with the likes of him!"

"Why not?"

"... He's a stupid, foreign, thug."

Some distance away, Kufe's ears lowered at the tone.

Yayoi's blatantly antagonistic reply was soon followed with rounds of not-so-playful hits, as usual. Not that he cared. It meant Yuiko-contact at least.

* * *

Ritsuka nodded, and nodded again, the rehearsed detached expression posted on his face. Yamaguchi-san persisted though soon realised once again that his student wasn't paying attention to his lecture. He sighed.

"Aoyagi-kun, it would do you best to listen to what I'm saying," he advised with a concerned expression.

Ritsuka looked up with guarded eyes.

"I'm sure you know all too well the pressures that school can have on a perhaps already tough family life, but we're here to help you, _really_," Yamaguchi-san continued, folding his arms. "Being absent from school won't solve the problem either. You've already had ten unauthorised absences this month not counting all the missed classes and late marks. It'll only get the school board involved, which I believe has happened before, according to your middle school reports."

The boy hung his head angrily. Being reminded of the past mistakes he'd made, as though he hadn't heard them over and over; he hated this with a passion. He'd tried to fix it but it was just all so complicated. Never mind with.. _him_ gone too.

"You're a _good_ student, Aoyagi. You have a good heart."

And he placed a hand on his shoulder meaningfully.

"_Talk to us."_

Those last words burned a hole in his mind throughout the remainder of the day. He walked briskly down the school corridors ticking away at it as though it was a cryptic message or something, despite the fact that he didn't particularly enjoy puzzles; they made his head hurt.

'_I _did _talk. All you adults did was make things worse for me. You stirred it all up again. You made mother worse,' _he thought, wrinkling his nose so much it made his eyes want to tear.


	3. Chapter 3

((Hello everyone! :D

Here is the third chapter of my first ever submitted Loveless story, a sickly sweet tale of teenage love, friendship, humour, cultural differences, and dumplings. ;)

**Warnings:** Very mild yaoi/cute shounen-ai/boy love, swearing and cusses (just as much as any teen might xP), there is no relation to the spell battle and magical side of Loveless, I'm just using the characters for a lifestyle-type story. Sorry... xD;

**Pairings:** Ritsuka x OC (oh shush :9)

**Notes:** My OC's name is pronounced _Kuu-fay_. Kay? :)

Don't like it, don't read it, and definitely don't leave nasty comments... though constructive crits are definitely appreciated! :)

Cheers~3))

* * *

Friday marked the third day of the new boy's school sentence and his first day of Japanese physical education, which as we all know meant:

"Shorts?" Kufe whined, clasping the spare class pair with the tips of his fingers. "You _gotta _be kidding me. Oh there's just no way..."

The boy's P.E. teacher Koga was a middle-aged man, slightly balding, a tad on the podgy side, and who seemed to wear shorts all year round, parading his furry legs for all to see. His dark cat ears and tail were short, rough and worn. The class knew him as 'the stump'; stubborn, rooted, and resilient beyond belief. He was one of those men who stuck to the traditional ways in life and the ideals of what a young man should be. And he drove these lessons home with every workout, pitch, and sprint, making sure these boys would grow up to be fine, respectable men.

"Ughnn, Koga-senseiii, Toru totally just kicked me in the shin for no reason!" one of them wailed.

"You wuss."

"Ladies! Come on now, act like adults please," Koga yelled to the line of boys.

"Yeah, like calling us girls is mature..." Ritsuka muttered to Yayoi who snickered back.

The class of twenty-two boys stood more or less in a row by the wall of the school's indoor sports hall since the weather had been devilishly dreadful that day. Koga busied himself rooting through a giant sack of footballs, looking for one in particular.

Just then the new boy Kufe very silently entered the hall and slipped by the wall and tagged on the end of the line. He definitely did _not _want to be singled out in front of all the guys. The girls were one thing. So he'd been extra sneaky, completely incognito!

Think again..

"Boy over there, what do you think you're doing?" Koga said loudly, standing up from his ball-hunting.

The whole line turned to look at him and there was stifled laughter.

'_Aw shit..' _he thought, knowing very well what was going to happen. He closed his eyes tight for a moment and tensed up, ears and tail withdrawing, silently panicking.

Ritsuka noted his now-familiar signs of terror from the other end of the row.

"Yeah, I'd worry if I were him," Yayoi whispered, grinning.

Koga was not a man to be easily taken aback so when he'd paused a few moments to take in this new boy's strange appearance, the class froze too.

Kufe daren't look up.

Koga then spent the next five minutes or so telling him off in firm-sounding Japanese, and then the next ten minutes striding around in an intimidating fashion, lecturing everyone about how things used to be. Though, they were quite accustomed to this and zoned out into their own little worlds for the duration of the rant.

Ritsuka took this time to slyly lean back a little and study Kufe properly at the opposite end of the row of cat tails and stumpy legs.

The boy still had his long, streaked messy hair in a rough pony tail, strands loose everywhere about his face. His canine features were still wild and noticeably pierced, his slim build antisocially slumped and wary, and of course he'd rejected to wear the PE uniform, instead donning a faded green long-sleeved shirt and baggy black pants. He fidgeted uncomfortably, still recovering from the scalding. He twitched, spazzed silently and sneezed with a high-pitched 'chu' and Ritsuka softened up.

A couple of guys chuckled at the noise.

He reluctantly began to wonder if watching him had become a hobby.

He was just so..

_Out of the ordinary_.

He pouted, ashamed of himself. This couldn't be normal..

"DETENTION!"

And all of the boys jumped to attention and looked straight ahead, their cat-fur raised right up.

Koga laughed heartily and told them all to focus, throwing each of them team shirts in blue and red. When he got to Kufe, Koga shuddered and threw it at his face.

"Riiight ladies! Take your positions... aaaand.." he yelled.

They all ran to their places in the hall, taking up positions as defenders and attackers in a pattern. Kufe was suddenly glad his father had been a football fanatic and found himself for the first time he'd been in Japan, not being the last one to catch on.

The whistle shrieked and the game sprang into action.

The game commonly known as 'football' by Kufe's English nation was widely known as 'soccer' by the rest of the world. It was confusing enough trying to follow his American friend when he ranted about how 'Brett Farve plays for the Jets now' and thinking he was talking about some rugby team, but actually it would be just as bad hearing the Japanese talk the same about '_sakka_'.

Throughout the duration of the indoor football game, several things were established;

One: that Japanese boys weren't exactly football enthusiasts, in fact, most were afraid of actually kicking the ball with any kind of force.

Two: Yayoi and Ritsuka were not fans of running around in the slightest.

Three: that Kufe was one _hell_ of a defender..

"He-ey!" one of the boys yipped as Kufe relentlessly tackled and dribbled the football away.

He then went on to successfully boot it across the hall to one of the shooters who then scored yet another goal for the blue team. The boys then broke out into celebration yet again and ran over to Kufe who could only smile back at all of their Japanese praises and jokes.

There hadn't been such a football winning streak for ages at the school and he'd managed to impress his classmates as well as the teacher with his unremitting speed and accuracy. His playing had eventually encouraged the other boys to join in, however near the end of the game it was. They'd look forward to next week.

The whistle blew and everyone began to head back into the locker rooms, the two cat-boys lagging behind.

An absolutely exhausted Yayoi only managed to pull his red vest halfway off over his head and collapsed to the floor.

"Uaaarghh! It's over! Finally!" he wailed. "Ritsuka-kun, help me up?"

Ritsuka leaned against the sports hall wall and panted.

"That was.. intense.." the cat-boy said.

"You can say that again. Now help me!" Yayoi stressed, waving his arm around with his vest still entangled around his neck.

"You weren't even running.."

"Of course I wasn't! I have an asthmatic condition. You know that! Ritsuka-kun? Hello?"

Ritsuka stared off into the distance, watching the newly-popular Kufe exit the hall with a group of nagging boys pestering him for football tips. And the fact that he didn't (and couldn't) reply to them made him even more intriguing to them.

"Hmn.. I wonder if he even knows _any _Japanese at all," Ritsuka wondered.

Yayoi had gotten up, yanked the vest from his head and brushed himself off.

"It'd be stupid if he didn't. What an idiot. Why is he even here?"

"But he obviously doesn't.. or he'd have said something by now. Surely."

"Heh, well I guess that makes him stupid then!"

* * *

The classroom of 3C was the group's tutor classroom and was registered by Yamaguchi in the mornings and evenings. He also taught mathematics on Mondays and was one of the most decent teachers in the whole of the school. Yamaguchi was the kind of man who, given the chance, would happily do a week's worth of jury duty and still watch the Japanese version of Law and Order when he got home.

It was lunchtime and the neko-jin of 3C were busy chatting away in their groups and eating out of bento boxes. Ritsuka, Yuiko and Yayoi turned up from their journey to the canteen to get some special dumplings to eat since it was the end of the week.

"Do you have _three_ Yuiko-chan?" Yayoi peeked up at her suspiciously.

"Ehn! Well, umm.. only to share with Kufe-san since he's new!" she admitted, clutching them closely. "I thought maybe he wouldn't know where to go for hot food.."

Ritsuka paused and eyed his own two dumplings regretfully.

He'd decided to do the same thing and now he couldn't remember what on earth had possessed him to do it.

"And I have a spare for you, Yuiko-chan! I didn't see you getting your own... Too many dumplings." Yayoi flailed. "At least Ritsuka-kun didn't get any and can have our spares so we won't get fat. Right, Ritsuka-kun?"

Ritsuka ignored him and scoured the room for Kufe, expecting to see him with the same group of boys from the P.E. lesson but saw him sat alone again, eating what looked like pasta from a circular container. He supposed the other boys had just poked fun at him and left, onto the next fad of the day. They were so superficial it made him sick.

Perking up his ears and puffing up his chest, he approached and found himself strangely a little nervous.

"Kufe-kun?"

The boy whipped his head up and looked directly at him in a way that made the cat-boy's legs go funny.

"Oh, hello," he said rather normally, a tiny smile forming that then widened substantially when he saw Yuiko and Yayoi walk up to him too.

"Hello!" Yuiko beamed, waving, which encouraged a finger-flex from Kufe.

"Hey loser, can we sit with you and feed you fattening foods?" Yayoi grinned, then receiving a glare from Yuiko followed by being elbowed roughly by Ritsuka.

Luckily, he hadn't said it in English.

"Uhm.. he said.. sit with.. me? Yes?" Kufe asked, pointing to his desk.

"Hai! Uh, yes! Please," Ritsuka enthusiastically replied.

They then pushed some desks together and sat in their own little group, making Kufe feel quite privileged indeed.

"You understand.. Japanese which Yayoi-kun said?" Ritsuka questioned, looking at him in amazement.

"Uhm... he said.. '_suwatte'_, from '_suwaru'_ meaning 'sit,'" he stated, then looking worried. "Uhh, am I wrong?"

"No, no, that's very.. right!" he replied, nodding. "We... did not know Kufe-kun.. was to knowing.. Japanese. Uhnn.. Oh! We did not know that Kufe-kun knew Japanese!" Ritsuka finished, correcting himself into better English.

Kufe smiled and put down his fork and spoke in Japanese with a strange accent.

"I understand only.. a little Japanese."

They all gasped and looked at each other.

"How much does he know?" Yayoi asked.

"Does he read kanji?" Yuiko questioned.

"What, am I? The translator device? You know English too, guys. We study it."

"Yeah, but, ehnn... you know..."

"He means, you're much better than we are!" Yuiko corrected.

Yayoi scowled, offended. "I just can't be bothered, that's all."

"Erm, what amount do you understand? Much of language?" Ritsuka tried, feeling more than a little embarrassed by his English grammar, though suddenly relieved when Kufe replied with the same problems in Japanese.

"I able am understand only.. small Japanese.. learn words of anime," he stuttered, blushing.

"Kufe-san watches anime?" Yuiko squeaked, smiling brightly at him.

Kufe nodded, "Yes!"

They spent a good portion of lunch analysing what the new boy did and did not know about the oriental language. And on average.. he knew the basics; about enough to communicate fundamentally with a small child. He knew basic phrases and enough to conjugate simple useless sentences like, 'I went to Kyoto last summer' and 'I have a big red house' and the classic 'where is the nearest toilet? I need to pee.'

It caused much hilarity and they were laughing half the time, though, it wasn't so bad as they had established that Kufe would only speak in simple Japanese and the trio would only attempt fractured English, to make it fair on everyone.

"WHAT-IS-'_GAIJIN_?'" Yayoi questioned him as clearly as he could, ignoring Ritsuka and Yuiko giggling away quietly in the background.

"Don't yell at him. He can hear you!"

"Gaijin... Ah, 'gaijin' is 'foreigner' I think," Kufe innocently replied in Japanese, trying not to laugh at a stressed Yayoi.

"KUFE-KUN IS A... FORANAR. SMELLY FORANAR. TO GO HOME."

Everyone then burst into hysterical laughter as Yayoi tried to tell them he was serious, though then attempting to stop himself from sniggering. Yuiko clutched her stomach trying to stop the pain, Kufe buried his head on his desk, his shoulders vibrating in fits, and Ritsuka held his own face, revelling in the heat and pain of his cheeks.

It'd been too long since they'd laughed like this.

The rest of the class could only watch and found themselves giggling too, though they had no idea at what.

Laughter is just too contagious.

The group wiped away tears and Ritsuka sat up straight, finding that giggles still attacked him as he breathed. He looked upon a contented Kufe who laid his head on folded arms and smiled madly, tugging his own ears gently.

"I think, hehe, Kufe-kun should sit with we... us more often," he smiled.

Kufe looked at him happily and gave an exhausted thumbs-up.

* * *

The last class of the day had ended and the students quickly piled out of the building chatting to each other about what to do over the weekend. Along one of the school's corridors the small group strode, Yuiko excitedly circling everyone as they walked.

"So, so, what movie do you want to see this weekend?"

"Whatever you like, Yuiko," Ritsuka said, buttoning up his jacket.

"Ouu but I don't know what types of movies you like," she replied fretfully.

"I don't really watch a lot of movies."

"Yeah, me neither. There are much more interesting things to do with one's time," Yayoi mentioned, fussing around in his bag as they strode by the large windows.

"Like gaming?" Ritsuka added knowingly, the pair smirking at each other like geeks.

"Iroiro.. ehem," Yuiko coughed, just remembering to switch languages. "What kinds of movies.. can Kufe-san like?"

The boy smiled sweetly, happy to be included in their group. He walked behind them and beside Ritsuka, and he pondered briefly.

"Well.. I like a lot of genres. Genre's means kinds of things," he explained in response to unsure faces looking back at him. "I guess what I like the most is... anime movies."

"Wowww, Kufe-san really likes anime, ne?" Yuiko grinned.

Kufe nodded enthusiastically.

"In that case, we should watch _Hagaren_," Ritsuka said.

"Ohhh, definitely!" Yayoi agreed, pumping his arm.

"That would be amazing!" Yuiko agreed.

"You guys really want to invite me along?" Kufe asked.

"Of course," Ritsuka told him, nodding. "It'll be much fun."

The group then swapped mobile phone numbers with Kufe and said their goodbyes, eager to meet each other at the cinemas the next day. The trio, as they had been since they met in middle school some years ago, had been good friends and often went out together or went to each other's houses. Though, going to the cinemas was a real treat, despite the expensive popcorn. They justified it by its dual usage as a snack and a weapon.

* * *

There had first been Yuiko and Yayoi who knew each other fleetingly from awkward meet-ups and happenstance identical class placement in elementary school. Then Ritsuka had arrived on the scene and cute little Yuiko had stuck to him like natto, and she had even professed a deep liking for him some time later, though..

Ritsuka hadn't returned her affections.

This left Yuiko in an odd state for about a week of dwindling between _dying_ if she could not have him and surrendering to becoming an empty shell of a person who would submit to being the dreaded 'just friends'.

However, Yuiko's dilemma was soon resolved by a love of something greater...

"Kufe-san!" the lively girl shouted down the street, waving frantically as though she was afraid he might not see her.

Though it would be impossible not to.

Kufe looked up from the pavement and beamed.

"Hellooo~!"

Yuiko gasped as Kufe approached and she looked him up and down in excitement and unanticipated awe.

The boy wore some converses that had been doodled on all over, tight black jeans, a chain or two, a loose studded belt, a baggy miscellaneous band t-shirt, a worn-in grey jacket with buttons and badges and patches galore, all topped off with his messy gold and brown hair in its usual pony tail. This time he had a hat too. A kind of scruffy small top hat; a trilby.

Yuiko couldn't hold in her deafening squeal.

"Ohhhhh~ I just can't _wait_ until Ritsuka gets here!" she exclaimed.

"What was that about Ritsuka?" Kufe asked in English.

"Oh! Nothing," she replied, glancing at her mobile phone mischievously.

The boy looked on in wonder.

The truth was, she'd picked up that her little Ritsuka perhaps might be batting for the other team, seen as how she'd seen him deviously peeking at more guy's backsides than she cared to mention. And it brought a huge smile to her face when she discovered that egging him on and secretly finding out 'his type' was a secret passion of hers.

She just wanted him to be happy, so happy. And this newcomer seemed to have _really _caught the curious cat boy's attentions, for whatever reason that might be. Though of course she hoped it was because he was hopelessly attracted to him. Playing matchmaker delighted her to no end.

"When does the movie start?" Kufe asked Yuiko as they dawdled outside the cinemas.

"S-start? Oh! Maa... ummm, ten! Ten.. erm.. four, fourty.. forty-five! Ten forty-five," she triumphantly worked out into his language.

"Cool!" he replied, grinning.

'_I can't believe I thought he was scary.. he's so cute!' _she thought, her cat ears flicking up.

"Oh! Yayoi," he said, pointing down the street.

"Ah! Good afternoon!" Yuiko said, waving.

"Yo! How are we today?" he asked as he made a trio with them. "Ohhh, Yuiko-chan.. your outfit, it's so cute.."

He looked her down, admiring her adorable cream coat and purple miniskirt with a blush that made her eyes roll.

Kufe giggled.

"Sorry I'm late anyway," Yayoi admitted, scratching his head.

"Well.. Ritsuka should be sorry, he's still not here," she said, flipping her phone open for the fifteenth time. "I'll try calling."

"Probably still sleeping. He always sleeps! Such a lazy person.." Yayoi commented, his gaze then settling on a once again rebellious-looking dog-person. "Ugh, why do you wear that anarchist's getup? You're such a thug, aren't you?"

The boy blinked, wishing the pushy Yayoi would remember to speak English, though he didn't on purpose as you can probably tell.

"Waah.. it's turned off!" she despaired, her shoulders dropping.

The group fell silent. Yuiko and Yayoi felt bad for him probably missing yet another fun excursion for some reason or another. He didn't have the greatest track record for showing up and it looked like it was going to be another one of those times..

"Well.. we should wait," Kufe said hopefully, looking at both of them in turn receiving the same hopeless faces. "Maybe Ritsuka really did sleep in. Maybe his phone is dead-erm, out of power. Maybe he's on his way here right now. You never know."

"Okay, we'll wait a while," Yayoi agreed, crossing his arms.

Yuiko nodded and looked into the distance.

Time passed. And people also passed in and out of the cinema behind them, walked by them, drove and dashed by, ate lunches and wailed into their mobiles, flexing their cat tails and holding hands, walking dogs alongside the cars, and random traffic noises, and lights, and sounds, and common goings on of the world of suburban Tokyo.

Yayoi stretched and yawned as a complacent cat might lazing on a hot flagstone, though it was in reality quite chilly that day. He peered over his glasses at Yuiko who had been pacing for long enough to make a track in the concrete and now paused only to pull up her thick loose socks.

Kufe sat cross-legged on a low wall that Yayoi had favoured leaning on and he checked his wristwatch, though he was in fact one of those people that could probably nail the time more-or-less dead-on without looking at a clock.

It was nearing eleven-thirty.

The boy tugged at one of his ears and sighed a long sigh.

"Don't be sad, Kufe-san," Yuiko chimed, coming to join him sitting on the wall. "It is a.. usual thing."

"Oh? That's too bad. He seemed like the type to keep stuff like promises," he replied, pouting and blowing a strand of gold out of his eye.

"He is really tenacious for his promises!" Yayoi mentioned, sticking up for him. "This time.. it's unlucky."

"Good word," Kufe smiled.

"Thanks! It was right I hoped.." he sweated, sliding his glasses up his nose.

"Kufe-san... why.. choose to.. live inside Japan?" Yuiko inquired.

"Why?" he said, scratching his head. "Well.. I'll try to explain it. It wasn't my choice to move.. to live in Japan. It was a holiday."

"Holiday! Fun!"

"Long holiday..." Yayoi commented.

"Yeah, my family didn't intend to stay for so long. But, my.. dad... he..."

Kufe trailed off, thinking how to phrase it.

"His work! It means we have to stay for a long, long time.. so.."

"Sou.. work. Salary man? Business man?" Yayoi asked, eyebrow raised.

"Sort of."

"Oh! Kufe-san has brothers or sisters? Oh, and a mama?" the pink-haired girl asked, leaning over a little more.

"I have a mum of course. But no. I don't have any siblings.. that means brothers and sisters. Heh, I'm an only child."

"Oh, Yuiko and Yayoi-kun are.. uhh.. only childs too!" she told him, smiling. "We think that... if you are only child, no problem, there are friends, always!"

"Yup!" Yayoi agreed, grinning.

The new boy smiled a warm smile and brought his knees up to his chin, wrapping his arms around them. And he thought for a moment of his life back home in England. He failed to think of anyone he knew who would say something like that.

"You know, that's a really nice thing to say!"

"Heh heh heh," Yuiko smirked.

"Look at the time! Wow.. this is getting really silly," Yayoi despaired, staring at his watch in disbelief. "I'm starting to get hungry too.."

"Well, no need to ruin a nice day. Let's go get something to eat! Okay?" Kufe proposed, leaping off the wall and smiling with a cute little face.

"Yes! Now!" he replied and stood beside him.

"Hm.. okay," Yuiko agreed sheepishly.

Kufe paused and approached her, catching her pale blue eyes with his own and holding their gaze in a way that made her quiver a little, even though she was looking down on him from her tallness.

"There are no worries," he said in her language, smiling sincerely.

Suddenly she felt as though he would make everything okay, and her small pink tail wagged.

This boy from England may have been quiet and very strange-looking indeed, but again, there was something about him that was hard to place. There was such vitality in those wild eyes of his. And Yuiko now believed wholeheartedly that he could help Ritsuka. Not that she knew entirely what secret hardships he carried with him, only that he needed the right person to open up to.

And Soubi had not been the one..


	4. Chapter 4

((Hello everyone! :D

Here is the fourth chapter of my first ever submitted Loveless story, a sickly sweet tale of teenage love, friendship, humour, cultural differences, and dumplings. ;)

**Warnings:** Very mild yaoi/cute shounen-ai/boy love, swearing and cusses (just as much as any teen might xP), there is no relation to the spell battle and magical side of Loveless, I'm just using the characters for a lifestyle-type story. Sorry... xD;

**Pairings:** Ritsuka x OC (oh shush :9)

**Notes:** My OC's name is pronounced _Kuu-fay_. Kay? :)

Don't like it, don't read it, and definitely don't leave nasty comments... though constructive crits are definitely appreciated! :)

Cheers~3))

* * *

Ritsuka clutched his mobile phone carefully in bandaged fingers and was mesmerised by the blinding blue light in his black room. It illuminated his soft features, emotionless. There was a large bandage loosely draped around his head and it slipped down over his eye.

He remained motionless, trapped in a wasteland of depressing thought.

'_Call me._

'_Text me._

'_Something._

'_Anything._

'_Anyone._

'_Please...'_

His head was swimming in the odd sensation of numbed pain, and he stared onwards at the little screen and sniffed.

"..this is so pathetic..." he muttered, and dropped the phone which quickly dimmed into darkness, plunging the bedroom into the same.

He hugged his legs weakly.

A memory of a tall, handsome man with long pale hair and round glasses flashed through his mind and Ritsuka buried his head, his cat ears dropping to the sides.

He did _not_ miss him.

Not at all.

He just.. missed the company. It was something his friends couldn't replicate somehow; merely substitute for a while.

He hadn't understood what was going on when he was with Soubi. It had all gone so fast, the adventure, the mess of emotions, the magic of being with him... just a blur now. And there was a strange feeling that he felt he could almost convince himself it hadn't happened at all.

'_Maybe it didn't..'_

He didn't know, and it made him even more confused.

Maybe his photos lied.

Suddenly, there was a bump and Ritsuka jolted up.

Silence.

...

"...Ritsukaaa," his mother wailed from downstairs. "Where are you.. Ritsuka?"

And he sighed and flopped backwards onto his bed.

'_She's never going to stop.. is she..'_

* * *

The dawn of a new week, and the frigid air felt as though it might freeze you stiff if you stood still too long. The heavens were cloudless and a bright and blinding aqua colour. There would be no snow, thankfully. The Japanese were already celebrating the coming of spring and hoped wholly for warmer weather, Yayoi included.

"F-f-f-f-f-f-f-freez-z-z-ing!" the boy stuttered, clutching himself as tight as he could through all his layers of unnecessary clothes.

"Really?" Yuiko asked cutely.

She sat on top of her desk in three-quarter pants and a sleeveless turtleneck as though it was the middle of summer. Her pink cat ears wiggled in delight as she giggled at him.

"If _you_ are that cold, imagine how poor thin-skinned Ritsuka-kun will be!"

"I doubt he'll show up t-t-t-today.."

"...because he didn't turn up on the weekend?"

He nodded.

They both sighed.

A fresh-faced Kufe strode into the homeroom class 3C in tight jeans and a baggy anime t-shirt.

"Good morning!" he sang in Japanese, slinging off his big rucksack and taking a seat by the pair who chimed their usual greetings to him.

Yayoi eyed him.

"Let me guess, you're not cold either?"

"Cold?" the Japanese word registered. "Nuh uh. Why?"

The boy grumbled and clung onto his coat some more.

Kufe blinked. Yuiko swung around on her desk to face him and beamed her usual sweet smile at him.

"How.. Sunday was?" she asked politely.

"Good! Thanks. How was your Sunday?" he replied, smiling too.

And then Yayoi pointed between them. Yuiko and Kufe glanced at him, then along his arm to where he was pointing.

There was something that resembled a groggy Ritsuka standing creepily in the doorway.

The classmates that had arrived early that morning watched him strangely, as he swayed slightly, his face downwards.

Kufe stood up slowly, eyes fixed worriedly on him.

"Is he.. shivering?" Yuiko guessed, squinting at him.

Just then Ritsuka toppled to the side of the doorframe, leaning on it, vibrating in fits of violent shivers.

"He's frozen solid!" Yayoi announced dramatically.

Kufe was at his side quite quickly and peered around to look at his face but was foiled by his messy dull purple hair. And he gently laid a refreshingly warm and reassuring hand on Ritsuka's arm, and the boy melted, his legs giving way.

"Woah!"

Kufe quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him upright.

"Oi! No sleeping! Hey, Yuiko, where's your nurse?" he called, looking back worriedly.

"N-nurse?" she asked. "What is that?"

Kufe despaired for a moment.

"He means the school nurse," translated Yayoi helpfully from the background.

A couple of the schoolgirls squeezed past them by the door and jogged out of the classroom to look for a teacher.

Ritsuka slumped some more, still shuddering. His mind just wasn't there at all... it was somewhere in the cloudless sky, drifting, drifting...

"He's falling!" Kufe panicked.

He swiftly threw his arms around him and pulled him close, suddenly feeling how cold he actually was. It was unreal, as though he might be dead.

"Waaah!" he panicked some more. "Helllp!"

In Ritsuka's mind nothing was happening. It was as though the world was dead. He couldn't remember waking up that morning or taking the train to school. All he could remember was the failure of forgetting his coat and he mumbled something incoherent about it.

He despised cold weather with a passion. Of course snow was pretty but the temperature that came with it was dreadful and often his body succumbed to it awfully fast. And now...

Here was somewhere very nice.

And warm.. comfortable.

Like a bed, only not.

Definitely..

Someone's arms.

And that was pure.. _bliss_.

"We really do have to warm him up," Kufe told the small crowd of people around him. He was now sat on the floor against a wall with him waiting for a teacher. "Ah! Your coats, give me your-"

Suddenly Ritsuka stopped shivering and moved close into him, rubbing his shoulder with his cold, cold little nose, his hands now gently resting on Kufe's chest.

"-coats..."

Most of the people then went to fetch their coats from their desks, but not before giving him funny or delighted looks.

Kufe had the cutest bemused expression pasted on his face, his large amber eyes then settling on this little thing all over him. He hadn't ever seen Ritsuka so vulnerable and sweet, his little face against him on his right shoulder, occasionally nuzzling it and budging into a slightly more comfortable position. He had a strange bandage wrapped around his head, and a plaster on his cheek too, which worried him a bit. He breathed heavily, but now was quivering only slightly.

He was warming up at least.

Kufe too.

Everywhere.

"What seems to be the problem?" Yamaguchi ran in with a first aid kit, shooting worried looks at his pupils.

Seeing the boys on the floor to his right, he dashed to them and knelt down. He turned to the girls around him and asked them some questions in Japanese about what was going on.

Yuiko was watching first with worry, then with pure delight.

Yayoi however, was first amused, then horrified.

He stuck his tongue out at how close they were and the pink-haired girl couldn't help but laugh again.

It was all rather funny, well, after the kind Yamaguchi had arrived and worked his brilliant nurse skills. He was going to be '_fine_.'

* * *

"Well maybe he has the flu," a voice echoed.

"Mhm.. though more likely the poor boy's just reacting to the coldsnap," another replied.

"It was a bit chilly this morning, eh?"

"Indeed!"

Ritsuka's vision cleared and found he was staring at a pale ceiling with few thousand dizzying tiles. He stared, concentrating, and listened to some indistinct teachers converse about him.

"His mother should be here shortly, anyway.."

And he snapped straight up.

"No!"

His head streamed with dizzying air as he swayed faintly.

"He sat up! Aoyagi-kun, not so fast, lay down."

And a firm hand pushed him back down, where he dropped into darkness again.

'_Mom.. no... you can't..._

'_This isn't fair...'_

**Since when has anything been.. 'fair'.**

Ritsuka's eyes sprang open.

"S-Soubi?" he moaned slowly.

A bright and happy face suddenly loomed over him.

"Ritsuka! Hello sleepy!" a smiling Kufe chimed.

"Is he awake?" a voice that sounded like Yuiko's got louder and was over him too, grinning like always. "Ohhh, Ritsuka-kun, you're alive!"

"It's not like he died or anything," the final friend said, leaning over and completing the frame, sitting down with them by his bedside. "Hello mister overdramatic!"

The cat boy lay all in a daze, looking at each one of them in turn from his comfy pillow. He had no idea where he was and lay in a mellow state of calm apathy.

"Um, guys?" Kufe asked. "What's a Soubi?"

"Huh? Oh, he was-"

"Ritsuka's gay friend," Yayoi finished nonchalantly in simple English words.

"Oh."

Yuiko punched him in the arm and corrected him.

"He... an adult friend Ritsuka's."

The dog boy leaned over the lifeless one again and gave him a strange look.

"He.. had a relationship with an adult?" he asked, but quickly regretted the question as the silent eyes of everyone were instantly upon him.

"It..."

They all looked down to him.

"..wasn't really.. like that," Ritsuka muttered, rubbing his eye and sitting up with more care than his previous attempt.

"Then, what?" Kufe inquired further with a polite face.

"Sou-he was a.. friend of older brother.. and we became.. acquainted after brother.. die...-d. Sorry, my English is stupid," he said, rubbing his face and flinching when he ran over the plaster on his cheek.

"Nono, it's fine.. I'm sorry, I didn't know."

The two boys stared at each other for a while, locked in some kind of wordless trance.

And then he remembered.

"Mother!" he bolted up straighter than before, his ears vertical.

"Don't worry! She's not here, she didn't show up," Yuiko reassured him in Japanese, touching his arm with a gentleness that defined her.

Since visiting his home a year or two ago, she had learned that his poor mother was not all there. There was something wrong with her mind. And whatever it was, it was directed onto her son in the most horrible ways.

It had not been hard to figure out she hurt him, often.

Though slow, observant Yuiko knew that it was probably not intended. And she and Yayoi were definitely aware that his situation was more complicated and delicate than it might seem. There was an unspoken understanding not to intrude too much as even a little meddling had been known in the past to make things much worse for him. And poor Ritsuka couldn't afford that again.

He sighed and his small shoulders relaxed, his lavender eyes glazing over as he stared out the window. His friends looked on worriedly.

The bell chimed muffled out in the corridor.

"Mhn, we better get going.. I'm sorry Ritsuka-kun! We were only allowed to stay here for thirty minutes," the girl whined, tugging on her hair.

"Thirty minutes.. I don't even remember falling asleep."

"You more like, passed out," Yayoi corrected as he picked up his bag. "But don't worry, we'll collect the worksheets for you. Might as well make like you're still woozy and get some nice shut-eye."

"I _am_ still woozy."

"Eh? Are you accusing him of faking it?" Yuiko argued.

Kufe had been staring coyly at the dazed boy, almost as though taking up the chance to fully study him. Kind of like how Ritsuka had being doing to _him_ since he arrived. He'd observed some rather sweet things thus far.

Like how one of Ritsuka's ears was always higher than the other at any one time.

And how his face relaxed into a soft and lazy expression when he was spacing out.

And also how his lips made a funny little twitch before he yawned.

"Come on, give me a good reason why he'd fake it!" she told him jokingly.

"Oh I don't know..."

"Exactly!"

"Maybe he wanted to spend some time in the arms of the foreigner thug..." he accused, pulling a face at Yuiko.

Ritsuka suddenly switched back on and stared through him, scowling until Yayoi realised and jumped at the intensity of his glare.

Kufe hadn't understood any of the pair's fast Japanese and merely observed Ritsuka's angry face, making mental notes about how his nose creased and what his tail was doing.

Luckily Yamaguchi arrived before Yayoi could comment further.

"How are we doing in here?" he asked, leaning into the first aid room.

There was a short silence.

"Um, well, Ritsuka-kun's still not feeling a hundred-percent, actually he's pretty dizzy and might even pass out again! So we were just gonna leave and give him some more time to sleep!" the pink-haired girl flustered, grabbing her schoolbag and tugging Yayoi's arm gently.

"Ah, right. Well, lesson's started, so get a move on, come on now," he said, heading back out into the hallway with the pair following with a whispered argument.

Ritsuka growled and slumped down into his pillow some more.

'_The nerve..'_

Kufe stifled a giggle at his behaviour and stood up from the side of his bed to find his rucksack.

"Well, Ritsuka," he said gently. "I hope you rest well and recover soon."

And he smiled and left.

The boy lay there in his bed, slumping down a little further. His mind reeled as he tried to recall a peculiar dream he'd had, because somehow he got the feeling it was about the dog-boy.

And it had been very..

_Very_...

Nice.

...

He then hid his pink face under the covers and wished never to see him again..

* * *

Nearing the end of Monday, the troop (minus one) headed to computer class down the hall and seated themselves on swirly chairs, Yuiko nearly falling off hers again. It seemed Kufe was quite computer-literate as his fingers flew across the keyboard during their first exercise which was summarising a web article of their choice, and he'd gone and picked one in English and outdone them all, much to his classmate's surprise.

The girls looked at him with pensive cat ears and twitching tails. The majority of his class still hadn't made up their minds on what to think of this stranger and they eyed him for more clues.

The guys who'd been in P.E. with him regarded him merely as the weird outsider boy who didn't understand how anything worked, or what anyone said, and who also happened to be a kickass defender. So they consequently ignored him until the end of each week.

Well, not entirely.

"Throw it!" one of them whispered.

"Alright alright.."

The Japanese boy sat up straight and hurled a small paper ball at Kufe's head, and missed, and caught his tail instead. And the poor boy shot up like a bolt!

Yuiko squeaked next to him.

"W-w-what's the matter?"

The boys chortled away behind their computer monitors.

"Is there a problem...um, let's see.. Angelo-kun?"

The ICT (information computer technology) teacher Aoki read from a piece of paper, mispronouncing his name to read like angel-o, when it was in fact more like angle-o.

Kufe frowned and seated himself, shaking his head at the word for problem, then shooting one of his smiles at Yuiko. Though it wasn't long before more paper balls made their way to him, and thankfully he didn't jolt as before and merely continued to type away. He was completely unbothered.

Yayoi leaned back on his chair to glare at the menacing boys.

"He should say something," he said to Yuiko who was having trouble remembering where the pesky undo button was.

"Huh? Angelo-kun?" she said, looking at his concentrated amber eyes. "He doesn't really care. Why don't you stick up for him then if you're so concerned?"

"What? Me? Are you mad!" he replied, gesturing to his stringy muscles.

Just then a pencil sharpener flew at Kufe's head and hit with some force. Some students who were seated nearby shot him concerned looks while the boys on the back row of computers laughed aloud like a pack of monkeys.

"Direct hit!"

"Hey hey!" Aoki finally interrupted, getting off of his seat to scold the group, not that he'd seen the incident. "Have you all finished the excercises on the sheet? Hm? I thought not, get back to work everyone!"

And they snickered in the background.

Yuiko put her alarmed face on hold just long enough to see that one of them was taking an apple out of his bag and weighing it in his palm deviously.

"Ah!"

And her compassionate ways got the better of her.

"You boys put that down right now, please!" she exclaimed, standing up to face them, the whole room's eyes then on her.

Kufe snapped up and whispered up to her.

"What are you doing Yuiko? Just leave it! I'm fine, really!"

"But they-"

"Y-yeah!" Yayoi joined, standing up with shaky knees. "Aoki-sensei, they uhh.."

"Sit down, it's _okay!_ I'm _fine!_" Kufe tried to tell them.

Then some brilliantly unplanned logic spilled out.

"But they have food in the computer room!" Yayoi finished.

He pointed dramatically, and people gasped.

Aoki was not in the least pleased.

* * *

"It was _epic!_ They totally got busted, _all_ thanks to my cunning," the conniving cat-boy with green-tipped hair remarked, pushing up his glasses proudly with a forefinger.

"And mine!" the sweet blue-eyed Yuiko corrected him.

"Okay, you helped a little.."

"You! If it was up to you, you wouldn't have done a thing, you little chicken!"

"Hey!"

Walking behind the two were the dog-boy and a sleepy Ritsuka plodding slowly and strangely avoiding eye-contact with Kufe.

"They were bothawesomely brave," Kufe concluded his explanation with a look of admiration for them.

The cat-boy alongside him nodded and eyed the pair ahead with a knowing look.

"Mnm, they _are_ great friends.." he agreed with a croaky English voice.

They all walked along the vacant corridors bathed in the deep light of the end of the day. The group headed for the big doors at the end of the hall and walked out expecting it to be a little warmer, but were sadly mistaken when a blanket of cold clung to their faces.

"Ouuuu, no! Come on spring where are you..?" Yayoi whined

"K-Kufe?" Ritsuka shivered, then flinching, embarrassed that he'd stuttered on his name.

"Huh?"

"Why didn't you.. fight them?" he asked.

"Huh?" again.

"Class c-computer. The boys. W-why didn't you use defence?"

"Defence? Oh, like, yeah, I know what you mean," he said and looked away as though he'd hit an awkward subject, then flicked back as Ritsuka sneezed with a small 'chu'. "You're way cold. We don't want you to pass out again you know!"

"I'm not-" he tried.

"Aww is Ritsuka-kun cold?" she questioned Kufe, walking backwards.

"Yeah," Kufe spoke.

"No, I'm-" he tried again.

"I'm not s-surprised he's c-c-cold. I am too!" Yayoi said while ferociously rubbing his hands together.

"Poor things..." she said.

Ritsuka gave up and conceded with a pout.

Before he knew it, a heavy leather coat was flung around his shoulders and drawn close to his chin gently.

"Here, want my jacket?" Kufe asked afterwards, pointlessly.

"Awww that's so cuuute~" Yuiko sung in a frenzy of (mostly) hidden delight.

"Oh come on, he's not gonna die of cold," Yayoi mentioned, refusing to look for fear of gay-ness.

Ritsuka's steps became increasingly erratic and his face was once again a sheepish mix of confusion and the colour pink. His cat ears flattened and his tail frizzed up.

"Seriously, we don't want you fainting again! I don't know if I could carry you!" Kufe said, smiling with half a blush adorning his handsome face.

Ritsuka beamed at the thought and had to look away because he could feel his cheeks burning. Images of being in the arms of him made him go funny and a shiver ran down his spine.

And he knew it wasn't because of the frigid temperatures...

"I gotta go!" he exclaimed suddenly, turning left down his usual road. Unbeknownst to him the jacket was still hanging on his small shoulders and flapped behind him.

They all stopped abruptly and watched.

"Hmn, okay then, _don't _walk with us.." Yayoi commented.

The dog-boy's brush of a tail dropped and he couldn't help but feel responsible. Was it something he'd said? And his mind reeled with the day's events.

The cat-girl smirked a sneaky little grin and spun around on her heel.

"Don't worry about Mr. Overemotional! He's just having one of his hissy fits! Oh, Yayoi-kun, how does that translate?"

"School's over, no more thinking for me.."

"Oh go on, just translate that, pleeease!"

Kufe looked on and wondered fleetingly about his bandages. He hadn't got a chance to ask about them and if it was anything serious. But even then he got the feeling he wasn't in the right way to enquire about that kind of thing. He was so secretive after all, and certainly tricky to deal with at times.

Time would tell..

"Fuckin' goth!" a loud voice suddenly yelled from down the street.

"Inu-jin bastard!" another joined.

And they peddled away on their bicycles around the corner.

"What the hell!" Yayoi exclaimed. "Bunch of idiots.."

Yuiko was speechless and shot a glance at Kufe only to see one of his usual calm faces. And she gasped.

"Angelo-kun can not be fine now!" she told him.

"Erm, what did they say?" he muttered, wishing he knew more Japanese.

The pair sighed.

"Thank goodness.."

"You don't wanna know, really."

"Tell me, please, I need to learn," he pleaded innocently.

"Nonono, not important!" she told him, waving her hands around.

"We should buy him a language study book," Yayoi nodded, crossing his arms.

"But then he'll understand all those horrible things!"

"Ignorance is for fools!"

Kufe sighed quietly, watching the cold steam rise from his breath. He really did need to study more. It was so frustrating hearing people talk about him and not have a clue whether it was praise or what to have for dinner that night.

Though of course by the tone, it was blatantly obvious they were swearing. But that was okay.. people always seemed to dislike him for one reason or another. So he was used to it.

What he didn't like was the language barrier, and that was something that could definitely be remedied.

"See you guys tomorrow!" he said, jetting off down the street at a steady pace.

"Don't slip on the ice! Translate that at least, Yayoi-kun."

"What am I, a loser-translator?"

She nodded.

He despaired.


	5. Chapter 5

((Hello everyone! :D

Here is the fifth chapter of my first ever submitted Loveless story, a sickly sweet tale of teenage love, friendship, humour, cultural differences, and dumplings. ;)

**Warnings:** Very mild yaoi/cute shounen-ai/boy love, swearing and cusses (just as much as any teen might xP), there is no relation to the spell battle and magical side of Loveless, I'm just using the characters for a lifestyle-type story. Sorry... xD;

**Pairings:** Ritsuka x OC (oh shush :9)

**Notes:** My OC's name is pronounced _Kuu-fay_. Kay? :)

Don't like it, don't read it, and definitely don't leave nasty comments... though constructive crits are definitely appreciated! :)

Cheers~3))

* * *

Tokyo had completely frozen overnight, and sparkled in a haze of fog. It had rained and then gotten very cold very fast leaving treacherous coatings of ice in its wake. A hundred salt grit trucks had already been sweeping the city in the early hours and a few schools were announced closed because they weren't fast enough. But of course..

Kamachi Junior High was open.

And transport-fail was not an excuse for lateness.

Naturally.

"I'm here!" Yayoi exclaimed amidst a flurry of panting.

"Morning!" Kufe and Yuiko chimed together.

"Nice one. Just on time," Kufe smiled.

He staggered into the homeroom and leant on his desk, grasping at his scarf.

"Ohh, Yayoi-kun are you alright?" the pink one asked leaning over her desk, only receiving a tired nod in response as he flopped down on his seat.

The pair watched him concernedly as Yamaguchi took the register of students at the front.

Kufe shot a confused look at Yuiko as Yayoi's breathing intensified.

"Has a bad… Ummm.. ahh, what word! Do not know.." Yuiko struggled. "Is _zensoku_."

Kufe grinned, fishing in his rucksack to pull out a small book that read 'Kantanna Nihongo Jisho.' Finally, he had gotten a dictionary!

"Let's see.. zen..soku, was it?" he asked quietly.

Yuiko nodded, then quickly responding to her name in the register.

The boy flipped quickly through the small pages and landed at the 'se' section, then 'ze' and skimmed down the list of words. _'Zensou.. zensoukyoku.. zensoku! Wait.. what?'_

"Full speed?"

"Huh?"

Confused faces ensued.

"Read the second meaning, dumbass."

"Yayoi-kun! You're okay!" she said. "…and don't call him that!"

"Oh! Asthma. You have asthma?"

The boy nodded groggily as his breath returned and he was able to sit up straight.

"You say it funny. Where's Ritsuka today?" he said bluntly.

The foreigner registered the boy's name amidst the Japanese and peered around the classroom, then out the window. Well, they had told him he wasn't the most reliable attendee. Now he would have to learn to cope like his friends did.

"..It's cold," Kufe stated.

"Mhm, very cold. You are right. Ritsuka-kun is at sleep today, maybe," Yuiko replied logically.

Kufe scoffed amusedly.

"I entered school today, you know. Also I am cold! Ritsuka is lazy. Only lazy.." Yayoi commented grumpily.

"Etooo, Angelo-kun?" she asked sweetly, fiddling with a button on her shirt cuff. "Yesterday, at day's end, Ritsuka-kun, jacket he has – had?"

Her wording was adorable.

"Yes, I believe Ritsuka did sort of.. steal my jacket. Haha, but it's okay! I don't mind. Maybe he needs it more than me today."

The pair smiled on the same wavelength.

Yayoi hunched forward. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Intense purple eyes stared at the jacket in question, bundled messily at the foot of his bed. Ritsuka eyed it warily as though it was going to attack him. He couldn't recall taking it, and dreaded having to return it along with an excuse as to why.

…

Did he _have_ to return it?

He shook his head immediately! Such thoughts indeed..

The boy took a few coy steps over to it and drummed his fingers on his PJ trousers.

'I'm not bothered by this. I don't care that it's his. Why would I?'

He snatched it up and promptly marched over to his computer desk, draping it over the chair.

There, in its proper place.

Absent-mindedly… he touched it again, running his small fingers gently over the odd leather texture and rivets in the zipper lines. Then he ended up scooping it up again, and just holding it, fiddling.

Thinking.

…

Wait, this was nuts!

And he was just about to throw it - when he sighed and consciously slowed himself down for a moment. He told himself that there was no one here to judge him. He could do whatever he liked in his room. It was his thinking space after all, but he didn't have the energy to pace. He was just completely wiped out from yesterday's drama and the weekend's events.

His poor mother hadn't been doing so well lately. She had screwed up with her medication and was ultimately convinced it was Sunday. So Ritsuka had to stay home, for fear of upsetting the fragile balance that was her mind, again.

He dropped down onto his bed and buried his face down into the jacket, curling up.

Then the strangest thing happened.

It occurred to him that he wanted to tell Kufe.. everything.

His eyes sprang open confusedly at this. He'd never ever wanted spill his guts to _anyone_. Especially about family matters. So why on earth would it be to _him?_

Ritsuka's eyes closed gently and a soothing, familiar voice entered his head.

**Isn't it funny, Ritsuka?**

**How sometimes the most important things are difficult to say to those closest to you?**

**And yet confessing to a stranger is the easiest thing in the world.**

**You should try it someday.**

He had no idea what his brother Seimei had meant at the time. But now it was starting to make some sense. It was probably the same reason that guilt-ridden sinners spill their guts to unfamiliar priests or hotline people on the other end of the phone line.

Like a quick-fix.

A way to vent.

Thinking about opening up to Kufe sent his stomach tumbling. However, he couldn't yet tell whether or not that was a good thing or otherwise.

* * *

Wednesday's usual morning news program was droning on in the background as Yuiko stuffed a donut in her mouth. No matter how hard she tried to wake up she seemed to always be clumsily rushing to get ready for school.

"The ice situation in and around Tokyo is gradually getting under control but is still treacherous," the news reader apologised.

She eyed the screen while quickly zipping up her bag.

"There is actually some chance of snow later on in the week—"

Yuiko gasped, dropping the remainder of the confectionary.

"So take care out there today as this unusual spring chill intensifies, hopefully just one last time before the warmer weather takes full swing."

"We can hope, can't we Mihoshi?"

"Hehe, have a little faith!"

The girl was already pulling her boots on excitedly and heading out the door, taking care to lock it as always, the key hanging safely around her neck. She wore very little as usual, sporting a cute t-shirt and jeans. She then bounced down the apartment complex stairs grinning madly about the prospect of snow. Then suddenly—SLIP!

She went flying down onto the street pavement rather ungracefully.

"Owww… oh yeah, the ice," she giggled nonchalantly.

Passers by showed minimal concern, naturally; "Kids today.."

_Nothing can dampen my mood today!_ she convinced herself striding proudly. _Ritsuka-kun's going to be there today, I just know it.._

A few streets away from the school building Yuiko noticed a familiar boy hanging around the corner in a black sweater and jeans. He had just recently taken to waiting for her in a morning since they realised their routes crossed. Her morning couldn't get any better!

"Angelo-saaaaan~!" she sung, skipping across the road as carefree/carelessly as ever.

The canine-featured boy spun to her voice though his smile died in confusion as he saw her on her back in the middle of the road.

"Owwww…"

"What the hell are you doing?" he exclaimed skidding over and pulling her up and out of traffic just in time. "Are you okay? Oh my god.."

She simply beamed.

"It's going to snow this week! Can you believe it?" she told him, wagging her cute pink tail.

He didn't know whether to laugh or face-palm. So he did both.

"What about snow?"

"Oh! English. Err.. yes! Snow soon. Heee~"

"That's great! But.. no reason to get yourself run over."

"Ne?"

"Come on, let's get going Yuiko," he chuckled. "Cars. BAD. Okay?"

"Right! Waaah!"

She slipped again.

"Geez, you have the balance of an elephant.."

* * *

"Yayoi-kun!" the spritely Yuiko called as she jogged down the hallway. "Angelo-ku—I mean, Kufe-kun has amazing balance! He can ice-skate too! We should totally go skating! What do you think?"

"Ice-skate? With that thug?" he moaned, looking around her to see the very same boy striding casually towards them, handsome as ever. Yayoi gulped and snuggled into his big coat and scarf. Such competition!

"He is _not_ a thug! Why can't you two play nice? Honestly.." she pouted.

"_Ranboumono: _thug, hooligan," Kufe smiled good-naturedly.

"ACK. Since when could that loser speak Japanese?" Yayoi spazzed, even more nervous.

"_Makeinu: _hmmm, underdog I think. Sometimes translated as loser. Nice play on _inu _by the way," he said, wiggling his dog ears.

"ARGH how is he doing that?"

"Hehehe. Kufe-kun told me how he's been studying a lot lately," the pink-haired girl informed him. Kufe nodded beside them. Yuiko then switched to English. "But.. Kufe-kun? How these words understood, but not… snow.. talk? Earlier!"

"Oh uhh.. I made sure to study the cussing first, since I figure that's what I'll hear most. You know, swears? Rude language?"

"How.. negative," Yayoi retorted. He was still unnerved from the fact this thug might be able to understand him now and clung to Yuiko's side possessively.

"Now you can't say bad things!" she told him.

"Naaaw, I'll just say bigger words to confuse his tiny foreigner brain.. heheh—OW!"

She hit his arm again. It hurt a little worse from the coldness.

"_Gaijin: _a foreign person."

"SHUT UP!"

"Get to your homeroom students," a passing teacher warned.

"Yes ma'am!" they all said, scuttling away, arguing into the distance.

"Well you're always calling me stupid, I figure I might as well learn—" Kufe tried, instantly scolded by a flailing Yayoi.

"No, no, no! Bad foranar. GO HOME."

"Ritsuka-kun!" Yuiko squeaked, rushing between the pair to an exhausted-looking Ritsuka hunched over his desk. The boys soon joined her, quelling their play fight for now.

The boy sat up slowly and smiled weakly at Yuiko but the plaster on his cheek stung when he did so he stopped and resumed his mopey face. Seeing Kufe suddenly beside him and catching a glimpse of those bright eyes of his provoked him to slump down again, burying his face. He did _not_ want to look at him. He thought he'd have his head straight by now but the sudden butterflies convinced him otherwise.

"Awwh, you look so drained. You didn't catch a cold did you? Are you okay?" she sweetly asked, kneeling beside him.

"Mmhmm.." he moaned. "Just tired."

"Good!" Yayoi said, taking his seat some ways away and cleaning his glasses artfully.

The English boy stood next to Ritsuka, watching him carefully. He had already deduced there was far more to it then tiredness. He had numerous injuries visible and he noticed at least a possible two more under his many layers of clothes from how he was sat and moved. He gathered he hadn't been eating or sleeping very well by what little he'd seen of his face. And more than that.. he seemed very _subdued_.

Almost depressed.

Kufe's tail dropped in concern and he felt urged to hug him. Oh if only it weren't Japan.

"Good morning class!" Yamaguchi said to the poor turnout of pupils. "Please take your seats so I can do the register and be on my way. A bit cold isn't it?"

A dull chorus of agreement circulated.

"Did you hear there might be snow?" Yuiko asked, sticking her arm in the air.

"_Snow_? Wouldn't that be lovely? Especially since we didn't get any this winter," the teacher remarked, scratching his dark hair nostalgically.

The students disagreed and grumbled about how it should just heat up already. Ritsuka agreed with them, his cat tail shivering.

Kufe regretfully took his seat and adjusted his scruffy pony tail.

As names were being called, the withdrawn Ritsuka fidgeted and peeked over his arms to spy on the mysterious dog-boy. He could feel something welling up in him again and he buried his head angrily. He stared intensely at the desk burning holes through it with his fierce lavender eyes.

_What the hell's _wrong_ with me..? Maybe it would be best to avoid him. Or would that be too obvious? Ugh, I have a feeling he's already suspicious. For fuck's sake.._

He fought the urge to look at him. This was probably a good idea since the boy in question had his ears trained on Ritsuka completely. He would probably be able to pick up the slightest change.

…What?

He was _concerned_.

* * *

By lunchtime Ritsuka had unwound a bit. The usualness of the school routine had relaxed him. Though as soon as the teacher left for lunch, all at once his friends seemed to push their desks together around him and make themselves comfortable. He tensed immediately. Sensing this, Kufe began talking to Yuiko over the table instead of Ritsuka.

"So! What have you brought for lunch today?" he smiled.

"Ehh, me?" She eyed Ritsuka's head confusedly. Shouldn't they have leapt onto what was troubling _him_?

"Yes you!"

And he winked.

"Oh! For lunch! Ahh.. Today's lunch for I bring two apple!" she announced, fishing them out of her bag and setting them on the table. "Red and blue! –Ah, green!"

"A _blue _apple? Honestly Yuiko-san, we studied English colours in _primary_ school!" Yayoi commented in Japanese.

Kufe just cracked up laughing at the thought of a blue apple, sending good vibes around the table. Ritsuka had committed to watching just his hands on the table and found himself smiling at the way he was laughing. Yuiko giggled in embarrassment.

"Okay okay, it's not fair I know. My turn I guess," the scruffy boy admitted, calming down. Then switching to his very fractured Japanese, they were all made re-aware of how often he must have been confused in this country. "Ano… Blue apple.. when dead, can get. When green apple.. dies? Becomes blue. Get it?"

"You mean _mouldy_? That's true huh," Yuiko smiled.

"AHAHA. His Japanese is so _BAD_. Hahahaha~!" Yayoi chortled. "Even worse than our English! Hahah!"

Ritsuka, with his eyes still fixed staring at everyone's hands said quietly "I'd like to see _you_ survive in an English school."

The green-haired one stopped laughing and coughed. "I think I'd do just fine, _actually!_ Better than you guys._"_

"But Ritsuka-kun's English is pretty good too," Yuiko mused.

"At slang, _maybe_. But I know important words, which is what counts in schools!"

"Kufe-kun…" Ritsuka said speaking in English, eying his chest. "Speak like a teacher, please."

Kufe watched him steadily and smiled a little. Yayoi looked nervous though pretended not to care. He didn't like people challenging his intellect when he knew he might lose.

"Ehem," he said, standing up in his seat and donning a serious English teacher face. He remembered one of his Art essays and cleared his throat. "Charcoal – is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen. The resulting soft, brittle, lightweight, black, porous material resembles coal and is used in art for drawing. It must usually be preserved by the application of a fixative and—"

"STOP!" Yayoi yelped in Japanese. "Stop using big words! I bet nobody uses them in real life! I bet you're just trying to make me look stupid!"

"To be fair, you do the same to him in Japanese," Yuiko pointed out, with a calming hand on his arm, making him slump back down into his chair, whining.

Kufe took his seat, grinning at Yayoi. Looking back over to Ritsuka, he was caught off-guard and flinched as he realised he was making direct eye contact.

His English was amazing. Well, naturally. But it sounded very cool in an all-Japanese environment. Those pupils who had hung around the classroom to eat muttered to one another how impressive such fast English sounded and how much they still had to learn.

"So, that must be the same.. how you hear us, always."

Kufe nodded to Ritsuka, happy to be speaking with him again.

"You get used to it," he shrugged, smiling.

He caught the smile too but this time ignored the stinging on his cheek from yesterday's injury. The butterflies were constant, but calmer. He thought maybe if he just acted like things were normal that they'd go away. He still wasn't entirely sure why they were there at all, though he had a horrible gut feeling that he preferred not to think about.

* * *

In the brisk afternoon, the frost had thawed a bit but one could still see their breath in the outside air, and Kawashima was teaching his Science class in the chemistry block. He always made sure to go and talk Kufe through everything in English afterwards, even if he _was_ consulting his electronic dictionary for scientific terms every few seconds. He was a good-natured logical man with a passion for his job, and it showed through.

"Next, for this particular experiment today, we are adding… copper sulphate, in… 50g spoon… to the mix."

Kufe nodded, focussed. Kawashima wrote down the lesson plan for him in Japanese then went through it with him, writing important English words above the Japanese characters. He stressed that it was also important for him to get used to reading Japanese as well.

"Now, I would like you to note… reaction," he said excitedly, making busy motions with his hands.

Kufe nodded enthusiastically and they both thumbs up'd each other before the teacher went to tend to the rest of the class. His bushy tail was wagging slightly and Ritsuka grinned at it.

"He's a good teacher, isn't he?" he said to Kufe as he came over, resting his elbows on the table.

"Mhm! Reminds me of my old teacher, Mr. Hall. Really made you wanna learn. Teachers aren't like that so much anymore," Kufe said as he lit the Bunsen burner.

Ritsuka watched him from the side and looked at the shape of his profile. Since he was a different breed altogether, he had a different look about him than anyone else here. A different nose, more defined chin and eyes. And for some reason he dressed outlandishly too. He felt he wanted to ask him a million questions but felt unable to do so for fear of what he might think of him.

"Hmm.. Ritsuka?"

And he snapped back instantly, cat tail swishing at his voice.

"What's this character mean? Mr. Kawashima didn't translate it," Kufe asked, setting the instructions in front of him.

Ritsuka watched his fingers on the paper in front of him. They were slender and artistic but rough at the edges. Without thinking he touched them and felt down the fingers.

Kufe jolted a little but stayed still, mind racing as to why he hadn't cleaned off the rest of his black nail polish. He looked so scruffy! He recalled faintly that he'd chosen to read manga the other night and had fallen asleep before tending to grooming; happened a lot.

His fingers came to a stop and he instantly blushed all over and withdrew his hand, coughing, trying to think of an excuse that didn't sound peculiar.

"Ah I know. Messy right? I should really take it all off," Kufe said, scratching at the remaining polish.

Ritsuka stared at him confusedly for a moment. _Really? He didn't find that weird? At ALL? _He paused briefly and wondered if Kufe was just a bit slow in the head.. Or maybe it was all in _his_ head.

Just then there was a loud POP sound and yellow smoke started spewing all over the place. The girls screamed and scattered into the hallway as the teacher tried to calm everyone whilst coughing. Kufe switched off his burner and took Ritsuka's arm, marching straight to the fire escape near the back. He pushed the door open and jogged out onto the grass as a few students trapped at the back of the class followed. The smoke poured out of the door and everyone was coughing.

He took his shoulders and looked up into his face. "You okay?"

Ritsuka nodded mid-cough. Kufe then went around the five or six other students asking if they were alright and waved at the teacher through the smoke.

"Everyone! It's alright!" Kawashima yelled calmly. "There's no danger, it's not toxic, just wait until the smoke clears! Okay, who was responsible..? Come on, own up." And he headed off into the hallway to confront the majority of his pupils.

"I hope Yuiko and Yayoi are alright, what with his asthma and all," Kufe said, standing next to Ritsuka on the grassy hill.

Ritsuka coughed and cleared his throat before speaking. "Yeah Yayoi went off to the bathroom just before I spoke to you, so.. Hey, that was good Japanese."

Kufe chuckled, "Thanks!"

Dropping down to sit on the grass, Kufe looked out across the school field and the birds swooping around. The purple-haired boy felt himself shiver in the cold. He then checked around at the few other students who seemed to be busying themselves over by the trees and thought for a moment.

"Wait here."

And he dashed back into the classroom which was still airing out, much to Kufe's alarm. He knelt up and carefully watched Ritsuka's shadow run to his seat and quickly come back outside with his bag in hand.

"Look you're coughing again…" Kufe said worriedly as Ritsuka came over to sit next to him.

"Important," he coughed, and opened the flap of his messenger bag, pulling out a neatly folded jacket. Hesitantly, he passed it over to Kufe.

"Ohh my jacket. Thank you!" he said, taking it.

Ritsuka eyed it like a treasured item and had to look away before he changed his mind. The dog-boy smiled and looked over to Ritsuka, noticing his expression and wondering what it meant. He also saw him shivering quite a bit and sighed. Flapping it out, Kufe kneeled up on the grass and leant over to place it around his small shoulders again. Feeling it on his back, Ritsuka protested.

"No! It's yours," and began taking it off, only to be stopped with a hand on his back.

"Just for now?"

Ritsuka hesitated, their eye contact long. Agreeing, he huffed and bundled up in it, silently very happy. Kufe smiled.

"You need it more than I do. I can take the cold a lot more, ya know?" he said, leisurely sitting beside him, leaning back on his palms whilst Ritsuka stayed perched on the edge of the hill, tightly hugging his legs. "You do make me worry about you."

The cat-boy looked over at him curiously.

Kufe pointed to his own cheek, suggesting the injury.

Ritsuka looked away quickly and bundled up even tighter, staring ferociously at the grass.

Kufe tipped his head inquisitively. He obviously didn't want to talk about it, so he was just about to chat about science class instead when Ritsuka mumbled into his knees.

"…Did you say something?"

"I said, don't worry."

"Oh. Why?"

"Because I'm okay."

Kufe smiled. "I know you're okay."

"So, why worry?"

"Because we're friends. Right?"

Ritsuka looked around at him suspiciously. It seemed odd to him how he had randomly accumulated all of these nice friends without even trying to, as though he didn't deserve it. He only received a warm, sincere smile in return, and it melted him a bit.

_I want to tell you._

_I want to tell you all about it._

_I want to tell you how I hate what happens at home, and how I wish things were different, _Ritsuka thought. _I get so angry. I get so angry I don't even know what to do with myself. It's all my fault things are like this with mother. Because I'm not _her _Ritsuka._

_It's my fault._

Suddenly he couldn't see for foggy eyes and without warning felt a tear suddenly roll. He instantly pulled his head back around and buried it, tensing madly. Had he seen? What would he think? Everyone would find out and it would get worse. The weighted feeling was unbearable.

Kufe was watching him steadily, staring fixedly at his shoulders shaking. Feeling it was the right thing to do, he sat forward with him, slowly, and gently touched his shoulder.

Feeling the pressure through the jacket on his shoulders, Ritsuka froze momentarily, eyes wide. A rush of emotion overcame him and try as he might, he could not stop it and began to cry, gasping and trembling as quietly as he could manage. He could feel Kufe's long arms wrap around him and he was pulled closer to his chest, feeling the warm, calm sensation return from before he fainted previously. Without even thinking about it Ritsuka leant right into him and continued to cry.

Luckily, Kawashima had seen them from the doorstep and let them be, calling the others in, who had not noticed the pair clinging to each other some ways away. The teacher watched them for a moment after the other students were inside, memories of his own youth rushing back to him. He smiled to himself, cleaned his glasses and left the door ajar for them.


	6. Chapter 6

((Hello everyone! :D

Here is the partially-completed sixth chapter of my first ever submitted Loveless story, a sickly sweet tale of teenage love, friendship, humour, cultural differences, and dumplings. ;) I'm not sure if I'll ever continue this story but I thought I should give you what little more was done of it. Hope you like it.

**Warnings:** Very mild yaoi/cute shounen-ai/boy love, swearing and cusses (just as much as any teen might xP), there is no relation to the spell battle and magical side of Loveless, I'm just using the characters for a lifestyle-type story. Sorry... xD;

**Pairings:** Ritsuka x OC (oh shush :9)

**Notes:** My OC's name is pronounced _Kuu-fay_. Kay? :)

Don't like it, don't read it, and definitely don't leave nasty comments... though constructive crits are definitely appreciated! :)

Cheers~))

* * *

When Ritsuka had finally calmed, without saying a word Kufe straightened out his hair a bit, drew the jacket close to his chin, and helped him to stand. They went back inside, Ritsuka clinging to his arm without really meaning to. As they re-entered the classroom the bell rang signalling the end of school. Everyone was up and moving about and few had noticed them at all. Yuiko and Yayoi watched them like hawks however.

Kawashima approached them and Kufe said a few words about being sorry for missing the rest of the lesson and that everything was alright. He nodded and left them.

The pink-haired girl could not quell her protective urge any longer and rushed over with Ritsuka's actual coat in her arms.

"Ritsuka-kuuuun, are you okay?" she asked, ears flat. Yayoi approached and stood reservedly with them.

Kufe deduced by Yayoi's sincere concern that this was not a regular occurrence and wondered why Ritsuka had come to him of all people. Surely his friends would know him better and he would have felt safer with them. Still, the boy steadfastly clinging to his arm told him otherwise.

Ritsuka nodded slowly, avoiding eye contact.

"Well, we'll get our things together," Kufe said. "I guess we'll see you guys tomorrow?"

"Oh, sure. Here, Ritsuka-kun's coat," she replied sadly, handing it over to Kufe. "See you."

Kufe smiled gently at them both as they turned and left them in the empty classroom. The sun had almost set completely and everything was dismal and grey. The dog-eared-boy looked to Ritsuka's face for clues on what he should say. He seemed to be staring at the windows and looking very tired, but at least he was relaxed.

"So," Kufe started. Ritsuka's ears twitched at his voice. "Your coat or mine?" he joked, holding up Ritsuka's long fluffy coat.

Ritsuka eyed it, then his face, and felt like he could stand to cry again if he weren't so exhausted.

"Sorry…" he managed.

Kufe shook his head, smiling, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, rubbing his arm. He finished with a reassuring pat on the back and detached himself from him momentarily whilst he gathered his stuff up. He was so liberal with physical contact. Ritsuka wondered if this was how it was all the time in England, or if it was just pity. Ritsuka stood and watched him, feeling silly again.

"I'm really sorry.. about this."

He was shot a sympathetic look from the back of the classroom and the boy was probably about to say something nice and reassuring too.

"No, it's _not_ okay," Ritsuka continued before he could respond, staring at the ground, then back up at him. "You can't…" and he gasped, holding back tears. "You can't…"

Kufe slowly approached him again with his rucksack slung over one shoulder. Ritsuka backed off as he got close, putting a hand to his own mouth.

"You can't… be so nice.. to me. Kufe-kun, you.. don't _know_ me!" he told him, sobbing. "You don't know me at all! And I don't know you! Why should I trust you?!"

Kufe watched this internal struggle with pained eyes, wondering what to say. He sighed and scratched the surface of a nearby desk.

"No, I don't really know you. I mean, I'd like to," he admitted. "But you know, even though I am a stranger, I'm not a particularly bad one, or anything. It's sometimes easier to talk that way, I find. When you know that they can't judge you, 'cause they don't really _know_ you. You know?"

Ritsuka stared at him, listening carefully to the same words in a different language.

"So don't worry about it. Seriously," he said, looking at him in earnest, raising his arms. "It's just me."

He stared, wondering what on earth he could say to counter that. Ritsuka's shoulders dropped and he found he didn't have the strength to argue anymore. Kufe smiled gently at him and realised in that moment what a soft spot he had for him and had no idea how it had grown so deep without him noticing.

* * *

They reluctantly swapped coats and headed out of the school building, walking together in an oddly comfortable silence. Darkness fell upon them softly making street lamps light up as they walked below them on frozen paths. Before the boys knew it, the turning came up where they would have to split ways and they came to a stop.

"Ritsuka," he said. They made steady eye contact. "Would it be rude of me to start texting you? I don't know if that's impolite here.."

"Texting?" He fidgeted.

"Yeah, phone mail? You know? I mean, I know you've already given me your number but I wasn't sure whether or not it would be bothering you to use it," he admitted, scratching his head. "It's just that I just don't want to keep worrying about you, when you're not at school, and stuff. I mean, we don't have to call each other or anything. Text would be fine. I guess it's just nice to know I can contact you if I need to. In case anything happens."

"You know, Kufe-kun, for a foreigner to this country, you are very polite," Ritsuka told him..

"I _do_ come from England after all. Home of tea and crumpets, and the queen and all that."

"Crumpets?"

"Haha, nevermind. So… can I?"

"Of course you can, Kufe-kun," Ritsuka blushed a little. How could he say no?

He grinned. "You can just call me Kufe if you like."

Ritsuka felt a smile forming and they left each other on a high note, Kufe saluting him from a distance. They both wondered what kinds of homes the other was returning to. Both also found themselves clutching their phones fervently throughout the night.

Kufe made the first move.

_~Wrap up warm tonight! :)_

Ritsuka tipped his head at the strange Western sideways emoticon and smiled as the word's meanings registered. No 'goodnight' so obviously another text to follow. Right?

He began to type and found it took him a long time to word a response.

'ok you too'

What else could he add? Put a smiley to be friendly? One like his or a Japanese one? Or was that flirting? But Kufe added one. They were more Yuiko's thing anyway.. Did that make Kufe girly? What about punctuation and txt spk?

English was difficult.

Kufe was shutting down his laptop and stretched, scratching his back. Suddenly his smartphone jingled and he pulled it out of his pocket excitedly.

_~OK you too. news said it will maybe snow tomorrow. take care_

The boy grinned and started formulating a reply right away, clambering up his bunk bed stairs.

Ritsuka scowled at his mobile phone and flopped on his bed. Couldn't he just write in Japanese? At least he knew where he stood then. Besides, Kufe was in Japan therefore he should learn its language. He nodded decisively. Suddenly jumping at the text noise, he grabbed and flipped his phone open.

_~Thanks, will do! Cats must really hate snow huh?_

He stared for a long while before his thumbs got to work.

_~well you are a sled dog so you should pull us to school in snowy mornings_

Kufe rolled around on the top bunk in a little fit of laughter imagining it all. He was incredibly pleased he had gotten to see Ritsuka's funny side at last and thought hard about how to reply. He rolled onto his stomach and smirked.

The cat-boy laid his head on his pillow staring at his phone, smiling nervously as he wondered what kind of humour was appropriate and if he had done it right. The wait was unbearable. And then—

_~I'm not a dog Ritsuka. I'm a wolf. ;)_

There was silence.

Then wide eyes.

'_A _wolf_?! For real?' _he questioned. _'No way, no _way. _He's got to be joking. It's just another joke; look at the smiley face. But he wrote my name. Does that mean anything? He can't be serious.'_

He eyed the message again and the word 'wolf.' He shuddered and realised he was really unsure of how to feel. Of all creatures, wolves were quite scary, especially in stories. Of course in a world where there were humans with many different varieties of animal features, there were said to be _Ookami-jin_, wolf-people,too. They were rare though, it was mostly dogs and cats (_inu-jin_ and _neko-jin_) that inhabited the planet with bits of other breeds too. But for some reason, the thought of it made him feel uneasy.

Time was passing and Kufe wondered if he'd said something wrong as he stared at the ceiling. He was in an isolated country that was primarily _neko-jin _so maybe they weren't keen on the mention of other types, even if it was a joke. He sighed.

Did it matter _here_ too?

Just then his phone jingled and he opened the message hesitantly, face half-buried in pillow as though he didn't want to look.

_~wolfs can pull sleds too. goodnight Kufe_

A sigh escaped him. It was a logical reply, but not a confident one either. At least he _had _replied.

_~G'night. (Now I REALLY hope it snows.)_

Ritsuka allowed himself a small smile at his reply before curling up, wrapped tightly in blankets. He didn't want to think about him anymore. Though naturally, he was all he could think about, again.

'_A wolf…'_


End file.
